Beyond Valhalla
by Jettara1
Summary: post httyd2, Stoick is given a second chance on life but what he discovers will turn his world upside down when he returns to Berk to find his son chief of their tribe and the world had continued on without him but not everything is as it seems. Note: any sexual scenes will be posted on another site.
1. Chapter 1

Beyond Vahalla

Startling cold greeted him. A cold so deep it went right to the bone and ate at the marrow and wrapped his heart and lungs in a vice. Yet he was a Viking and Vikings don't feel the cold. They didn't fear the darkness or flames that seemed to dance where water met sky. No, fire and water were elements Vikings often thrived in and so he kicked his way up, up to where the air was frigid and froze the lungs with one gasp as surely as the heartless sea. But Vikings were fighters and a little cold never bothered one such as him.

When he broke to the surface it was graveyard of ships and broken weaponry and rotting corpses of both men and dragon long dead and forgotten. His wary green eyes looked about for a familiar face as he fought to stay above water, his arms already numb and feeling weighed down from his swim. He must have been thrown quite a distance when he was hit because he honestly didn't remember hitting the water but surely he couldn't have been under for long, not long enough to be forgotten and left behind. Surely his tribe didn't take him for dead.

He swam toward shore, hoping to find a familiar face or perhaps a place to camp for the night until he gained his strength. Maybe he could savage one of the ships and sail home. Maybe… There were a lot of maybes but the first priority was finding shelter and food and then getting home.

His legs were shaky as he slowly made his way across the battle field, avoiding bodies and broken and discarded weapons littering the ground. He grabbed jagged shards of ice and dug footholds into the snow as he hobbled his way up to the sanctity of the vast cavern high up in the mountain. If there was anyone left on the island he was sure to find them there. It was a long climb and he had to stop more than once. For the first time he was winded and felt his age or maybe that was due to some injury he had yet to attend to but would soon enough. His knees shook more and more with each step he took but he was a determined man, a Viking trait and one he would carry until the end of his days. And so he pushed forward, climbing over broken ice and utilizing a broken spear as a walking stick until finally, finally he reached the mouth of the ice cave that would lead him to his beloved and the relief of everything he held dear being safe.

What he found was and abandoned refuge that left no aspect of home, not even a warm ember. Of course it was to be expected. If there was anyone left they would have taken the painstaking time to bury the bodies on the beach rather than let them rot. The trappers would have been piled together and burned in one great funeral pyre while the dragons given the same with maybe a little more respect. Well that's no doubt what Hiccup would have done…and Valka. So why hadn't they? Where they dead? Did Drago…

He shook his head. That wasn't possible. They were both well adapted to dragons and no doubt had enough watching over them to insure their safety regardless of Drago's Bewilderbeast. He had to have faith that they were safe and that there was a logical reason they had yet to return to bury the dead. He didn't want to consider what those reasons could be so for now he did what he could.

Stripping out of his freezing, soggy clothes he wrapped himself in some warm furs and set about making a fire in the cold hearth. It took time but once he had some kindling going he added a few logs still stacked against a wall and got it burning merrily. It thawed his frozen center and warmed him straight to his toes. He rubbed his cold hands, bringing proper circulation to his fingers. He felt the cold now and it was bone chilling and he silently noted not to tease Hiccup when he put on extra layers and shied away from ice dip challenges. The boy never liked the cold and now neither did he.

He wasn't a big fan of the fire either which felt rather odd. But the more he stared at the burning hearth the more his heart raced and something twisted in his gut and for a minute all he saw was flames and felt a strange burning heat before the icy bite of the sea.

Inhaling sharply he stepped back as he gasped for breath. He shook his head. No, it wasn't fire it was something more powerful, something that had torn right into his heart. His hand went right over that place where plasma met flesh and wondered at the scar that cover much of his chest, stomach and side, one he never had before regardless of his numerous battle scars and burns from when he used to battle dragons. This was new yet didn't sting as it the tissue had been given time to heal which should be impossible. It would take months maybe years for it to get to this state. It made no sense.

None of this made any sense.

Turning away from the fire he tried to occupy his mind with what was in the cavern. Valka didn't have much, she was alone for a long time on the island with only dragons to keep her company but she did have a few things, mainly furs and objects she whittled. They looked like small toys made for Hiccup but never given since they were ripped away from each other when he was a babe. Then there were drawings, countless drawings on the rock walls and etched into the ice. He ran his fingers over them, admiring them now that he had the time. They were really quite good and it was easy to see where Hiccup got his talent from. He took a lot from his mother.

His finger moved along smooth ice where older images had frosted over then melted and refroze until it was almost of smooth as glass. It reflected the fire perfectly and helped bounce the hit back in the small room. He smiled softly at the image of three fingers incased in ice, a mother, father and infant son. There was no doubt of the love and care placed in it. He paused when he came across his own reflection and saw an image he did not recognize.

He inhaled sharply, his green eyes widening impossibly wide, and dropping the furs wrapped around him in shock as he placed both hands on the ice and stared at his reflection. This was not him. This was not his face or body. Worse…why hadn't he notice until now?

Feeling faint – Vikings don't faint, he reminded himself even though he thought he might fall at any moment – he slumped onto the furs and stared at the strange person who stared back at him from the ice. He couldn't return to Berk like this. He didn't even know who he was anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

Beyond Valhalla 2

Life on Berk had returned to normal after the battle with Drago and the Bewilderbeast, or at least as normal as could be expected. Almost all the buildings were now rebuilt and everyone had a home once more, including a very exhausted young chieftain who for the first time in months finally slept in his own bed in his own house. Better yet it was with his beautiful wife who lay next to him. For the last few months Hiccup had been alternating between staying at his in-laws and Gobber's, his focus on caring for his people's well-being more than his own but when Astrid announced she was pregnant all that changed and just about everyone stopped what they were doing to make sure their new chief, bride and future heir were taken care of. At first he had objected to it, after all Astrid was perfectly find with her parents until they had a chance to build a place of their own but Vikings were a stubborn bunch and once they had their minds set on something there was no stopping them.

So now, two weeks after everyone stopped rebuilding the village Hiccup had a new home to share with his lovely wife and their future child. Maybe it was the relief of not having to rely on someone else for a place to sleep and share a meal, constantly being reminded of everything he lost with hugs and pats on the back he wasn't accustomed to. He had grown tired of people telling him just how sorry they were for losing his father and assuring him he was going to be a fine chief because he sure didn't feel like a chief even if he was in charge of the entire village. He felt lost and he sorely missed his father, something he figured he would feel for the rest of his life regardless of the huge statue craved into the side of the mountain of Stoick the Vast.

He rubbed his face into his pillow and grumbled in his sleep, reluctant to wake up even though he knew it was high time he got to work. A chief was always up before dawn and checking his village…an old lecture his father was fond of telling him those mornings he slept in. Today was one of those days Hiccup really wanted…no needed, to sleep in. And Astrid felt so nice and warm beside him.

Of course for Hiccup sleeping in wasn't a good thing. Actually sleeping wasn't very enjoyable at all, at least not since his father's death. He suffered from nightmares. It wasn't every night but most which usually led to insomnia and him staying up late playing cards with Gobber or his mother until he fell asleep at the table. He refused to show this particular weakness in front of anyone else, least of all his in-laws. Astrid knew as did the riders. They were there the day Stoick had died. They knew what happened to him how…

"Hiccup?" Astrid said gently her long fingers brushing through Hiccup's shaggy hair. She hummed softly and waited patiently for her love to calm down as he had begun trembling in his sleep. "Shh… I'm here, babe."

It took a few moments but soon enough Hiccup relaxed and began to stir. He rolled onto his side and blinked bleary eyes owlishly up at Astrid before giving her a dorky smile and running a hand through his bedhead. "Good morning, m'lady," he murmured with a sleepy lisp. He looked as if he could sleep for several more hours but they both knew that he couldn't, not with another nightmare so narrowly avoided. He yawned instead and leaned in for a morning kiss only to have Astrid pull back with a disgusted look.

"Morning breath," she explained before quickly kissing his cheek and climbing out of bed, her round belly still small.

He grumbled and turned back into his pillow intent on going back to sleep but of course that was impossible, Astrid had a partner in crime when it came to waking him up. A large paw bared down on his lower back and a big head nuzzled against his. Hiccup tried hiding his head under his pillow but his faithful friend was prepared for that and stole it, throwing it out of reach before bathing him in his morning kisses, something the ebony dragon had been doing more and more since the battle with the Bewilderbeast nearly a year ago. Since then Toothless had become more protective of him and more determined to check him over at even the tiniest hint that something was wrong. Apparently, sleeping-in counted as something wrong because Hiccup rarely ever slept in.

"Toothless!" Hiccup cried as the big sticky wet tongue went from his shoulder blades up his neck and through his hair making it stick up at odd angles.

The dragon pounced around the bed playfully nudging him in his way of telling his rider it was time to get up. Hiccup cracked an eye open and watched him with a small smile before pretending to go back to sleep.

Astrid laughed softly as she got dressed. "You know he'll just jump on the bed and flop on you or worse, pull out of the hut by the skivvies. Are you willing to risk the entire village seeing you like that again?" She gave Toothless a nod and the dragon placed both front paws on the bed as if he were indeed going to climb on and drag Hiccup out of bed.

"Don't encourage him," Hiccup grumbled but he pretended a moment longer until Toothless was practically on top of him before rolling over and quickly scratching his friend under the chin.

Toothless's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he flopped on the bed, his tongue hanging out as he happily pressed his chin into Hiccup's hand.

Hiccup gave another big yawn but continued scratching his friend for a minute of two more. He gave Astrid a cheeky smile. "And that is how get silly dragons to not drag you outdoors in your skivvies."

She shrugged, her smile matching his. "I don't know, I always get a little tingly when you're in nothing but your skivvies." Then she gave a shrug and placed a hand on her round belly. "But we've got work to do. I'm off to the stables to see Stormfly. You better head to the Great Hall. No doubt the Council already has a list of things that need to be done."

He instantly slumped back against his pillow and Toothless slumped on his chest with a mournful look. Council Meetings were the most boring part of Hiccup's duty as chief. And if Hiccup was stuck in the Great Hall half the day it meant no fly time for either of them since Astrid had limited her flight time now that she was in the eighth month of her pregnancy but luckily Stormfly didn't need a rider to fly. Astrid had asked Hiccup countless times why he didn't just give Toothless a new prosthetic tailfin that he could control on his own but for whatever reason the dragon simply refused to wear one.

Reluctantly Hiccup sat up in bed and reached for his prosthetic. "Yeah, I bet." He ran a hand through this sticky hair. A grimace marred his handsome face as his fingers were covered in dragon drawl. He flicked it at Toothless, catching him in the snout. "Think I might have a little time to bathe…not in dragon slopper?"

Toothless gave a gummy smile.

Astrid seemed non-plussed by the question. "I don't know, maybe they'll think it's a new fashion statement."

"Har har…someone's been hanging around Snotlout again."

She paused as she pulled on her boots. "That reminds me, he dropped by last night while you were sleeping. He wanted you to drop by his place today. He wanted to talk to you about something important."

Hiccup waved it off. "He'll be at the Council Meeting."

"I think he wanted to talk to you in private. He seemed rather antsy last night." She gave a small grin full of amusement. "He was even polite."

Now that was new and completely unlike Snotlout. Something had to be wrong with his cousin to be acting so strangely. Buckling the last strap, he pulled on his pants. "Alright, I'll see what he wants after I see to the Council. I hope today isn't so busy. I need at least one day to relax before the baby comes. I'm sure you do too."

She laughed at that. "Between my mom and your mom I'm pampered…maybe a little too much. If your dad was still with us I'm sure he'd be worrying over me more than either of our moms."

A sad smile tugged at Hiccup's lips. "Yeah."

The sudden onset of depression could be seen on the young chief's face. He always got this way when reminded of his deceased father. The two hadn't been overly close. Stoick the Vast had been a great chief, always there for his people and once battled dragons to protect them but he hadn't always been there for his only child. Normally a single parent raising an only child were extremely tight it just happened that they had a hard time understanding one another at least until Toothless came along and while they still had their issues they were a little closer. That didn't mean they didn't love each other, quite the opposite, they adored and cherished each other and would fight to the death to protect each other and unfortunately that was what lead to Stoick's untimely demise.

Hiccup blamed himself.

Astrid placed a quick kiss on his lips. "You need a break away," she said gently, her long fingers carding through his sticky hair. "You need to get out of here for a few days."

It was his turn to chuckle as he looked up at her. "Chiefs don't take breaks away. We take care of our own."

"Sometimes chiefs need to take care of themselves first and make others wait a little bit."


	3. Chapter 3

Beyond Valhalla 3

He would never admit out loud his fears when he first spotted Berk on the horizon just as he would never admit just how much he had come to hate sailing after the convenience of flying by dragon back the last five years – at least he was sure it was five years. Of course he wasn't quite sure of anything anymore since awaking in the icy waters off the Dragon Sanctuary's shores. He had spent a week there, mending his clothing that had been torn and burned and what furs and fabric he found in Valka's cave like home. They were a little worse for wear but they would do until he got home and got everything sorted out. If this sort of thing could be sorted out and fixed but he was sure if anyone could figure it out it was Hiccup. That boy was brighter than he ever gave enough credit for. His mind could wrap around just about any situation and find a solution that no one else would even think to consider.

The welcoming sight of dragons flying around the island brought a relieved smile to his face as his little tattered Trapper boat sailed within Hooligan territory. Several of the riders he was able to make out clearly. He was happy to see Skullcrusher amongst the dragons but was a little surprised by the rider. He was almost certain the young man was the Trapper that Hiccup had been trying to negotiate with. For a moment he frowned not happy with this new development but let it go after a moment. He wasn't sure how long he had been gone and Skullcrusher needed a handler, he wasn't used to not having a rider since he had pretty much had the dragon since it was a hatchling. Skullcrusher was not used to being alone.

Banishing thoughts of his beloved dragon aside he focused on the task at hand and steer his rickety ship toward port. As he came within sight of it a horn was suddenly blown, surprising him and nearly causing him to steer off course. Warriors and dragons swarmed the upper decks, crossbows and Northbows in aimed at the little ship while dragons took flank, their deadly fire breathe ready to set the ship ablaze should he make one wrong move.

He carefully sailed to the nearest finger dock and let Bucket and Mulch catch it as he held up his hands in shock. "I surrender?" he asked, a little confused by the treatment. Berk had always been a friendly island that often dealt with traders and other foreign sailors. This…this was not his Berk.

. . .

The council meeting had turned out just being the never ending issue of Mildew and his crops and the new arrangements with the old man whose age was starting to catch up with him making it hard to make his usual deliveries. Mildew wanted two of the teens to assist him and no one had stepped forward to volunteer. This meant Hiccup needed to assign someone or force the old man to do it all himself which would normally be his first instinct. Sadly he couldn't do that, not if he wanted to make sure there was enough food to feed the entire tribe through the cold season.

Hiccup sat in his father's throne – he could never think of it as his own – and rubbed his temple. "I'm not sure who I can assign to your field, Mildew. Most of the teens are riders and patrolling the island for any sign of Drago or his men. I can't just pull them from that for cabbages and sheep."

The old man leaned against his staff and shuffled forward some more. "And what am I supposed to do? Have Terrible Terrors turn my soil and spit the seeds in the ground?"

There was a snicker from Snotlout standing at Hiccup's right hand. "That's not too bad of an idea."

"Terrible Terrors can't plant seeds!" the old man snapped which got a few more snickers from the council members.

"Alright, alright!" Hiccup yelled loud enough to hush everyone. "Mildew, I'll talk to the preteens. They'll help with planting and again at harvest time but I don't want to hear about you yelling and cursing them out. They're kids so learn some patience. You really should consider moving back into the village." His emerald eyes flickered toward Gobber as his mentor began choking. He tilted his head and gave him a look that clearly said he wasn't helping.

And of course Mildew just stared at him as if he was mad. "I'm happy where I am," he grumbled before giving his young chief a nod. Then he turned on his heal and hobbled away.

Hiccup sighed and sat back in the oversize chair that he would never fit in no matter how old he got. So far the usual issue was dealt with and he waited for whatever new problem the council might put before him.

"You know we could always send Mildew back to the Outcasts and rent out his property to a farmer more fit for that sort of work," Snotlout offered in a hushed voice. "It'll kill two birds with one stone. Mildew'll be gone and the land would be tended."

A small smile played across Hiccup's lips at the thought but he shook his head. "My father promised he could stay as long as he didn't cause us anymore trouble and stood behind me when I became chief. If he betrays us…he'll be Alvin's problem."

"Spoil sport."

Hiccup only chuckled but it was cut short when the horns began to sound followed by the roar of dragons. The horns had only sounded a total of four times in the last nine months and each time was due to a battle against Drago and his Bewilderbeast or his men who tried on more than one occasion to raid the island. Hiccup's heart constricted at the thought of another battle and just how many causalities they may have this time. He could see the same thought pass through the men and women before him, all hardened warriors, all having faced death and lost loved ones and he could see the hesitation in each of them as if even though it had been six months since the last attack, they may not be ready to lose anyone else they loved.

"Too your stations!" Hiccup yelled followed by Snotlout's bellow of; "MOVE IT!"

The older of the two gave Hiccup a lopsided smirk. "Don't forget, my place tonight. Assuming we survive the next ten minutes," Snotlout said with a laugh in his voice before darting out the door and bellowing for his dragon, Hookfang.

Hiccup rolled his eyes. Leave it to his cousin to remember that when they might very well be facing their deaths. He ran out the door, instinctively glancing toward his house where he hoped Astrid was safely tucked away by knowing that was unlikely. Knowing his wife she most likely had her battle axe and was already heading toward the heart of the potential battle on Stormfly's back and…

He blinked in surprise at the sight of said dragon standing before the door, cooing and nudging Astrid into the house while the shield maiden kept trying to creep past. Laughter bubbled through him and he ran down the stone steps, cheekily waving to his trapped wife. "Good job, Storm. Keep her there unless the Bewilderbeast shows up and for Thor's sake get her out of here," he instructed the Deadly Nadder in Dragonese. He knew he could trust Astrid and their unborn child's life with Stormfly and that they would be taken to the nearest ally tribe.

"Hey! I will not be a prisoner in my own house, Haddock!" Astrid yelled as he ran by. "Haddock! Haddock! Hiccup, get you're scrawny butt back here so I can kick it!"

"Love you, too!" was his only response as Toothless ran up alongside him. With practiced ease he snapped his foot into the control stirrup and grabbed the handles on the saddle. "Okay, Toothless, let's head for the harbor."

Since there were no screams or sound of weaponry let alone a gigantic dragon bearing down on them he could only conclude that the lookouts were able to intercept the intruder(s). Toothless unfurled his large black wings and with one mighty flap he took to the air. They flew across the village where parents were rushing their young children to the safety of their homes. The horns had fallen silent but everyone knew the drill, should they sound a second time every non-warrior was to go to the Great Hall where a secret passion would take them to the Whispering Death tunnels and an underground lake where a number of ships awaited to sail them to Bog-Burglar Island. Another tunnel was set up for the dragons, hidden in the hatchery so the eggs could be moved quickly since they were utterly defenseless without an elder dragon to care for them.

So far the second horn hadn't sounded.

The two partners landed on the rock face overlooking the docks and Toothless gave a roar, announcing his presence to the other dragons. The others who had been watching over the new comer backed up and gave their Alpha room to see who had set off the alarms. Hiccup stared at the young man in surprise. He couldn't have been more than Eret's age or younger. It was a little hard to judge but Hiccup was certain he was no more than twenty-five if that. Yet he looked oddly familiar, red hair, bright green eyes, extremely tall and muscular. He tilted his head to one side, inspecting him with a careful eye. He didn't look Icelandic or like any Trapper he had seen so far and his clothing appeared Viking despite the banged up Trapper ship.

Toothless growled as the warriors led the stranger up to them. His ears were back and he was low to the ground, ready to pounce should the stranger try anything funny. That was until he took a deep sniff of air. Surprise filled his face and then confusion and he scented the air again. Then he cautiously moved toward the young man, bringing Hiccup along for the ride much to his friend's surprise. He got right in the stranger's face and sniffed him all over then went back his face and gave a puff of air that mussed his red hair.

"Yeah, hi to you, too," the stranger said which made Toothless give a happy chirp and nuzzle him, almost knocking Hiccup off his saddle and to the ground as he wrapped around the man and purred happily. The man only shook his head and chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, you overgrown kitten. I've missed you, too."

Hiccup dusted himself off. "Alright, that's new," he murmured.

Gobber hobbled up to the group. He was out of breath and not in shape and he was certainly getting too old for this. How Mildew made the daily hike from his farm in the mountains to town was beyond him. He huff and puffed until he reached Bucket. Placing a hand on his knee and took a moment to catch his breath. "Well the town's not frozen or burning so I'm guessing it's not Drago."

"Nope, just some poor soul who managed to find a derelict boat and sail to nearest peaceable island," Bucket reported and a happy smile.

"We don't know that," Hiccup said, his voice stern and not willing to take chances after all they had been through in less than a year. "Who are you?" he demanded but his gaze softened a little at the sight of Toothless literally rubbing his scent all other the stranger, something he only did to the people he loved or was family. With the exception of Valka he had never scented a complete stranger.

Gobber eyed the stranger for several long minutes, taking in every inch of him. "No…it's not possible," he whispered in sudden shock.

Hiccup glanced at him in surprise. "What? Do you know him?"

Gobber nodded, his movements sharp and eyes wide.

Spitelout's brows furrowed in confusion at the blacksmith's reaction. "Gobber?" he asked before taking a good look at the stranger as well. He took a step back as realization struck him. "St-" he stuttered when the young man looked at him with all too familiar green eyes.

"Stephan!" Gobber said quickly, throwing an arm around the young man's shoulders and giving him a one arm hug. "Hiccup, don't you recognize him? He's your second cousin, Stephan. Your great aunt Agnes's oldest boy. You can let him up now, Toothless."

Hiccup stared at his mentor in confusion while Spitelout simply gaped at Gobber and the stranger.

"Stephan?" he asked in unison.

Gobber nodded. "You can stay with me, Stephan. The chief's new house is going to be a little crowded soon. Spitelout, you better come with us. We'll catch up later, Hiccup."

Snotlout and Hookfang landed next to Hiccup. "So what? That's it?"

His chief nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

"Uh…wait…Gobber!" Stephan said hurriedly, turning to look back at Hiccup with pleading eyes. He needed to talk to Hiccup. But the young chief was busy playing with his dragon and trying to figure out why Toothless had acted as he did to him. For the dragon's part he was watching "Stephan" with big greengage eyes and a hopeful smile, the one he usually wore when he knew he did something bad and was waiting for his forgiveness. "Stephan" absently touched his chest and side where the scar was and a flash of memory came back to him. Of Toothless under another dragon's control, of how he had nearly killed Hiccup if it weren't for the boy's father shoving him out of the way. "Stephan" took a deep shaky breath.

Toothless had done this.

Strangely he felt no anger toward the dragon. He would have had Toothless killed Hiccup. He doubted he could ever forgive the Nightfury for that. Perhaps, but then the dragon was not in the right mind and seeing how tight he still was with Hiccup he knew Toothless would still watch over his boy. So "Stephan" nodded to the dragon and bowed his head lowly as Toothless used to with him in a show of respect.

He was lead to Gobber's small hut where Spitelout slumped in the nearest chair and simply stared at "Stephan" while Gobber sized the young man up. He limped around stranger over and over until he finally came to a stop in front of him.

"Are you done, Gobber?" "Stephan" asked in annoyance, folding his arms across his chest.

Gobber raised a brow. "Well you passed the Toothless test," he grumbled. His face got close to the young man's before straightening.

"Witchcraft?" Spitelout asked, his eyes narrowing slightly at the thought.

"Maybe."

"Would you two quite it? I'm just as confused as you," the young man interrupted a little put out by the treatment he was being put through.

"Zombie?" Gobber countered with a playful grin.

"Yeah…no, he'd be a little more decrypted, more Mildewish," Spitelout through in, seeing a familiar light in the boy's eyes at being teased.

Gobber shivered. "Ewe."

"Spitelout! If neither of you are going to be have help I'll just go see Hiccup," the youth argued. His hands balled into fists and he glared at the two. "Look, I don't know what happened. I don't know why it happened but it did and here I am and quite frankly I just want my family."

Gobber nodded sagely. "Well kiddo, I don't know if you've seen yourself but you're a little young to be the father of a twenty-one year old, Stephan."

"My name's not Stephan."

The blacksmith looked sympathetic. "It is now, Stoick. Unless you feel like explaining to everyone how you're back from the dead. And quite frankly I don't think Hiccup can handle many more surprises right now, least of all the return of his dead father over twenty-five years younger than when he was sent to Valhalla."

Stoick had no response to that. He sat down and looked from his best friend to his brother and back. "I died?" he asked softly, softer than either man had ever heard him before – but then his voice was a little higher than it would have been if he was in his normal body. "I was dead? How long? How did this happen to me?" He gestured at his youthful body. "Why am I not in Valhalla?"


	4. Chapter 4

Beyond Valhalla 4

The two young leaders of Berk walked briskly in Snotlout's hut. Well he liked to say it was his hut but he still lived home with his parents, especially right now with the village still in the process of rebuilding itself. He jokingly complained about it to his cousin every evening when the work was done for the day.

"I'm your second in command, don't I deserve a hut of my own?" he'd say over a tankard of mead.

Hiccup would only sigh and nod. "As soon as the Larson's house is repaired you'd be next."

Sadly something else usually came up and Snotlout would redirect the builders from his proposed hut to deal with it instead. As things stood it was unlikely Snotlout would see his own hut for at least a year. And that was what Hiccup assumed was the reason his older cousin wanted to speak to him now. "Do you remember our Dads ever talking about a great cousin Stephan? I thought Aunt Angus only had a daughter," he asked Snotlout as he walked across the wooden floor, his prosthetic foot clunking with each step he took. He slumped into the first empty chair he found. He couldn't believe how tired he was but then he couldn't remember the last time he had a full night's sleep let alone one that was restful.

Snotlout shook his head as he threw a few logs on the center hearth then poked at it with the poker. "I don't know. Dad never really talked about Aunt Angus and she only visited when we were real little," he said thoughtfully. He shrugged and leaned against the post. "I think I'd remember someone like Stephan though, he's only a few years older than me and if he came with her we would have hung out."

Hiccup raised a brow. "And we wouldn't have?"

His cousin gave him a look, the usual sizing him up as if Hiccup was still the small, scrawny, uncoordinated little boy he once was rather than the tall – still very slim – young man that now towered over Snotlout who had once towered over him. "One, you're five years younger than him so rather than hanging out he might have got stuck babysitting you like I did. That's probably why you don't remember him, you were too young."

"So you remember him?"

"I didn't say that."

The young chief gave a puff and leaned his head against the back rest. "So you don't. But Gobber and your Dad acted as like he was family. Maybe he just never hung out with us. I mean he's older than you, too."

Snotlout gave a laugh. "Hiccup, this is me, we would have hung out."

Rolling his eyes Hiccup grinned. "Like Dagur did?"

"Hey, his Derangedness wouldn't know good company if it bit him on the ass."

Hiccup's brows rose.

"You don't count. You're his 'brother'," Snotlout insisted but frowned when a grin spread across Hiccup's lips. He huffed in annoyance and poked at the fire. "You and Astrid coming for dinner tonight or eating at the Great Hall?"

"I don't know," Hiccup answered honestly. They usually ate at the Great Hall, neither one having time to cook with their duties. Many families offered them a place at their table, especially Astrid's parents, which worked just fine when they were living with them, but Hiccup was not used to handouts and had a very hard time accepting. Usually it took Snotlout or his father or even Gobber to drag him to one of their homes and make him sit down and eat. Astrid on the other hand was used to hanging out with friends and sharing meals with their families – something Hiccup could never get used to – and would easily drag her often shy and nervous husband to their homes with promises of throwing a banquet once the baby was born in thanks. Hiccup's mom tried cooking for them but…her cooking skills left a lot to be desired, but she enjoyed what she made. "But I'm guessing that's not what you wanted to talk about."

"We're having lamb," Snotlout insisted. "Dad's been smoking it all week."

Hiccup's eyes narrowed. "Snotlout?"

There was silence between them, the only sound being the thumping of Toothless on the roof trying to catch Hookfang who was no doubt teasing him with a sheep or some such thing and staying out of reach. It wasn't fair the way the Monstrous Nightmare taunted the Nightfury since Toothless had no way of flying after him without a rider but they had pretty much the same relationship as Snotlout of Hiccup. Even though Toothless was Hookfang's Alpha and the larger dragon would always follow the smaller he liked to rebel from time to time and play with Toothless whenever possible. The grumbling and chortling from the two could be heard all the way into the hut.

"Are you participating in the races tonight?" Snotlout asked, avoiding the subject.

Hiccup tilted his head. "No… Snotlout, what's bugging you?"

"I guess I'm going to win." He poked at the fire some more then gave Hiccup a lopsided grin. "You might as well award me now. I mean with both Berk's champions out of the races who has a chance of beating me?"

"Lout, would you just tell me why you wanted me here? And it's not for lamb dinner."

The older man sighed and sat at the table across from Hiccup. "Okay, here it is. We've been talking…"

"We who?"

Snotlout blinked in surprise. "Uh? Oh, you know, Astrid, Fishlegs and the Twins. You know, the gang…and well you've been working really hard, which is a given you're chief now but you've also got a baby on the way and I…we think you need a vacation. You know a few days away from all this and…"

Hiccup raised a hand to stop his cousin. "Wait, you think I need a vacation?" he asked to clarify things. "Seriously? Snotlout, I'm chief to a whole tribe. I know we're not as big as the Berserkers or the Visithugs but I still have a responsibility. I don't have time for a vacation."

"IWe/I think you need a vacation. Even Astrid thinks so. She's worried about you. And the village is almost back to normal. And Drago hasn't been seen in months so…"

"No," Hiccup sighed, standing. "I simply don't have the time."

"You'll have even less once the baby's born."

"How about Astrid taking a vacation…or being pampered before the baby comes?"

A devious smile lit Snotlout's face. "Her mom and yours have that covered. And that is why you need to take a vacation for a few days. Astrid's never going to relax if she's worrying about you."

Slumping back down in his chair Hiccup pondered the idea for a few minutes. It was true he was stressed out and he hadn't raced in months despite how much Toothless wanted. He felt guilty about that. Toothless loved racing and so did he, but he had to think of the tribe first and Toothless had his dragons to worry about. Perhaps Snotlout was right. But not right now. There was too much to do. Perhaps after the baby was born and things calmed down then he, Astrid, the baby, Toothless and Stormfly could go away somewhere on a family vacation. "We'll see," was all he told Snotlout.

Snotlout rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I bet we will." He got up and set to work on dinner. It was his turn but he planned on conning his younger sister into taking over as soon as she got home from training with Gustav at the dragon academy. He hummed softly to himself, a little surprised when Hiccup stayed rather than rushing off to help everyone – not that he was really needed since the village was almost back to normal, not that Hiccup seemed to see that. He peeled potatoes and carrots, onions and garlic and threw them in a pot of water. By the time he had that hanging over the fire Hiccup had dosed off, proving just how exhausted he was and how much he desperately needed a break away. Stupid fishbone was as stubborn as his father.

. . .

Chasing after a youth half the age he formally was, was not an easy task especially for a man with only one good leg and a rather big belly and older than the man the youth formerly was. Gobber huffed and puffed as he chased after Stoick. He stopped half way up the hill and bent off, huffing and puffing. He was getting way too old for all this running. He glanced up toward the young man now many meters ahead of him. "Get back here!" he tried although it came out as more of a wheeze.

Of course it had no effect whatsoever.

Spitelout chuckled, strolling along as if this was the funniest thing ever. "Oh yes, lets yell at him and see if he'll listen. One, he's Stoick. Two, he not much holder than my boy and we all know how well the Haddocks and Jorgensons listen."

Gobber huffed, still a little out of breath. "Yeah, you're all brats. Now stop him before he causes a commotion."

Still chuckling Spitelout jogged after his older/younger brother at a leisurely pace that made Gobber want to throw something at Spitelout. He had no choice; he needed to chase after Stoick himself. Hopefully he could catch him before someone recognized him and caused chaos, namely someone like Mildew.

Spitelout caught up to Stoick when the now young man stopped in the middle of the plaza, a puzzled look on his face. It was something Spitelout noticed quite often when Stoick would pause to look at the changes to the village and the towering ice that seemed to refuse to melt even on the hottest summer day. "Hey there, kiddo," Spitelout teased as he stepped up next to Stoick, placing a hand on his shoulder as if he were indeed his uncle rather than his little brother. "What are you doing?"

"I need to speak to Hiccup," Stoick said, trying to sound stern even though his voice was a little lighter, not as deep as it once was.

"Uh huh. We talked about this. We need to see Gothi first and find out how this happened. Then we talk to Hiccup," Spitelout reminded him for the second time. It turned out Stoick listened as well as Hiccup did even if neither of them would ever admit to it. "Remember, he thinks you're dead. You can't just pop the fact you're alive and…well like this on him. I don't think he can handle any extra stress right now."

For a few seconds Spitelout was certain Stoick wasn't listening to him, that his focus was on the changes to the village and the chaos caused by Drago's attacks. Then his green eyes flicked to Spitelout and worry lines creased his forehead. "Hiccup's struggling with being chief?"

Spitelout shrugged. "No more than you did when father died. He's just much younger. Remember, you were…" He gestured to Stoick. "…this age when you became chief. Five years may not seem like much but it's worlds apart when you're young."

The now young man sighed but gave a nod. "Then he needs me."

"He needs his father," Spitelout agreed. "But sadly iStoick/i is dead." He waited for that to sink in, hoping that maybe Stoick would understand that he couldn't simply barge in on Hiccup's life and throwing it upside down more than it already was. "Right he needs to get his life in order and you are not going to be much help."

And of course that old stubborn Haddock pride had to set in and Stoick shoved Spitelout aside to continue his search for his son. Of course it wasn't nearly as easy as it once was and Stoick had to use more force than he was used to which also meant when his brother grabbed his arm he actually had to struggle a little to pull free.

Spitelout was simply beaming at that. "I can get used to this," he chuckled as Gobber finally caught up to them.

"Used to…what?" he wheezed, holding his chest.

Stoick opened his mouth in retort but he was cut short by a spitfire of angry blonde energy that took the form of Astrid.

"Where is he?" she snapped, shoving her way past Stoick and Spitelout to get to Gobber. Her long hair was braided to one side but rather than wear her tradition garb and armor as Stoick was used to seeing she wore a simple red gown that hugged her curves. "I know he rushed to the docks when the horn sounded. Please don't tell me he went after Drago without back up again."

Surprised, Gobber glanced past the young woman to Stoick, his eyes wide and then back trying to act as if nothing was wrong. "Ah…no, I can honestly say he didn't. It was a false alarm. Just an old friend that finally came home."

She straightened, some of the anger melting away to reveal her worry. "Oh… So where is he? I need to kick his scrawny butt. He had Stormfly sequester me in my own house."

"Well…" Gobber started, trying to keep her attention on him.

"Why would he…" began Stoick, stepping around to get a good look at his future daughter-in-law. He inhaled sharply as her round belly came into sight. His eyes grew wide in surprise and he couldn't meet her gaze. All he could do was stare at that round belly and imagine the child growing within. The grandbaby he always dreamed of.


	5. Chapter 5

Beyond Valhalla 5

"I think I need to sit down," Stoick murmured. He stepped away from Astrid, certain he was dreaming as he had been since waking up in this form. Hiccup wasn't about to be a father. He was just a boy, barely a man, barely a chief. Oh sweet Thor, he little boy had somehow grown up over the course of a few months…maybe year since his…his… Stoick still refused to believe he had died but it was even harder to believe his son had finally settled down and gotten married. He better have married this girl or…

Instinctively he grabbed Astrid's arm and made her turn enough for him to get a good look at her. The blonde was indeed pregnant, eight of nine months so judging by her belly, but as much as that intrigued him it wasn't what he was looking for, that was around her neck. It was a small beaded necklace, delicately handcrafted on strong hand woven twine and at its center was a dragon tooth with the Haddock crest craved into it. It was a wedding gift much like the once Stoick had made Valka many years ago.

"Do you mind," Astrid snapped, yanking her arm free. "And just who are you?"

Surprised Stoick's gaze flicked to her eyes. "I…"

"Stephen," Gobber provided, drawing Astrid's attention back to him. "He's Hiccup's cousin."

She looked doubtful. "Never heard of him." She glanced back at Stoick. "Must be from Stoick's side. Gobber, where did Hiccup go? I need to knock some sense into him. I might be pregnant but I'm still a warrior and I will not be treated like some delicate flower."

Gobber gave her a fatherly smile. "It's not you he worries about, lass. Hiccup knows very well you can protect yourself in any situation, it's the young babe growing within you at he fears maybe hurt in the process."

Her brows furrowed in frustration. "I know that but…"

"Astrid," Spitelout interjected. "The boy is still recovering from the loss of his father. If something we to happen to you or the babe he might never recover. We will end up all of you. Trust me, I know. When Stoick thought Valka was killed we almost lost him and Hiccup in his grief. Why do you think Gobber stepped in as a second father to the boy when he could barely walk?"

Sighing, Astrid shook her head. "Alright, alright. Maybe I'm being a little hard on him but I still need to talk to him."

"Then I suggest following the rough housing dragons," Gobber instructed, glancing down the laneway as Hookfang bounced by with something in his mouth and Toothless growled and snapped at the larger dragon's tail.

Spitelout followed his gaze then gave an exasperated sigh. "Hookfang! What are you two knuckle head up to now?" he yelled as he went after them before they broke out into another brawl that was likely to destroy something.

"You can tell those two belong to Hiccup and Snotlout," Stoick chuckled as he took a step to help his brother as he normally would but Gobber shook his head.

"Alright," Astrid said, her arms folded under her breasts. "I'll talk with you later, Gobber. Nice meeting, Stephen," she said the last part curtly, weary of the new comer. She gave him a nod then hurried toward Snotlout's hut.

Stoick waited until she was out of earshot before doubling over with laughter. "My son's about to be a father? My Hiccup? I knew it! I knew they were meant to be together. He just never knew how to pop the question and kept worrying about a suitable present. I told him to go with the necklace. That's how I did it with Valka!" He beamed brightly. "I'm going to have a grandbaby!"

"No, Stoick is. Stephan is trying to figure out what happened to him without anyone figuring out who he really is," Gobber argued as he placed a hand on his shoulder and steered him toward the path toward the forge. "Let's go find Grump then head up to Gothi's. She might know a way to change you back to your old self. Then we need to figure out a good excuse for why you're not dead."

Stoick was hesitant. He wanted so much to talk to Hiccup, to congratulate him on his marriage and new family, to tell him how proud he was of all Hiccup's accomplishments. But most of all Stoick wanted to tell his son that he was alive and hold him close like he did when Hiccup was just a boy. Instead he allowed Gobber to lead him to the forge where they used to spend hours together working out one situation of another or sometimes just be alone when they were both lonely and in need of a friend. This was definitely one of those times.

. . .

Snotlout jumped when he heard the familiar pounding on the door. He had just put a light blanket over Hiccup when it became apparent that his cousin was not about to wake up any time soon. The dark bags under the young chief's eyes worried him a little. He made him think of the many times when they were little and he would taunt the younger boy about not having a mother or being afraid of the dark or daring him to do things Hiccup was far too small to do. And of course Hiccup being Hiccup would attempt them if only to be included in the group and often got hurt in the process. The little bugger would end up not sleeping for days after one of those pranks and Snotlout would only tease him more. Then the whole thing with Toothless and Red Death happened and while Hiccup's life got better amongst his tribe his nightmares only got worse with the hardships that came with losing his leg and becoming leader of the Dragon Riders and rival tribes wanting him to train their dragons. The kid didn't get a break and Snotlout hadn't really been much help even if he did try to watch his back. That was different now. It was his job to watch Hiccup's back and be there when he was needed. That was why he was pushing the vacation idea so hard.

Swinging open the door he almost yelled at whoever had the audacity to pound on his door. Of course whoever it was wouldn't know that Hiccup was asleep but it didn't matter. His words fell short when he came face to face with Astrid. "Oh! Ah…he's in no condition to be yelled at or I'd be doing it already," he casually as if it was normal.

She gave him a look that clearly said get out of the way. With a grimace he shuffled to one side and let her pass.

"Astrid, he's out cold. He's not sleeping well. I blame it on you being a bed hog and the kid kicking him all night. That can be the only explanation," he teased with a cocky grin that was sure to get his ass handed to him if the woman wasn't pregnant.

Astrid rolled her eyes. "It's the nightmares and you know it. And for your information he slept in today." She spotted her husband with little trouble and hurried toward his sleeping form but rather than wake him as Snotlout feared she only brushed his shaggy bangs back. "He's getting worse. He's shaking and warm," she said, her voice just about a whisper.

"Gothi said it was the stress. He just needs a break," Snotlout reminded her.

"Did you talk to him about it?"

He gave snort. "Yeah, you can lead a yak to water doesn't mean they're going to drink."

Shaking her head she studied Hiccup. "Fine. Plan B then."

"And that's going to be so much better? If I remember Tuffnut came up with Plan B and where the twins are involved…"

"Chaos is sure to follow. It'll be perfect," Astrid finished with a tiny smirk.

Snotlout ran a hand down his face. "This isn't going to end well."

Her smile only grew as she adjusted the blanket around Hiccup's shoulders before kissing his brow. "Yet some rest, babe." Then, curtained her lover was safe with his overbearing cousin, she left the two in search of the twins. This was going to be a team effort.

. . .

"Gobber! Gobber!" Tuffnut yelled as the blacksmith hobbled up to the forge. The male twin was alone, his twin off looking for Eret whom she still seemed to have bit of a crush on.

Gobber gave a huffed as the young man hurried to him with wide eyes. "What is it, Tuffnut?"

"You have to do something about her. She's insane. It makes no sense whatsoever!"

"Tuffnut…I told you, I can't make your sister fall in love with someone else. It doesn't work that way," Gobber answered with a tired sigh. Ever since Eret joined them Tuffnut had turned super protective of his twin sister.

"What? No, not Ruffnut. Gothi," the youth said franticly waving some book at Gobber. "She has me reading all these tombs and books about herbs and medicine and they make no sense. Why can't I just use a splint for every break? Why to some herbs heals one thing yet make another worse? Why can't she just tell me instead of making me read? I hate reading. You have to talk to her. This is Hiccup's thing not mine."

"Well Hiccup's busy chiefing and he already knows all this," Gobber retorted, pushing the young man out of his way to get in the forge. "He can't be chief and doctor. He has too many responsibilities as is."

"Yeah, okay I get that but what about Fishlegs? He's into the reading stuff," Tuffnut objected, ducking into the forge before Stoick. "He even understands Gothi like Hiccup does."

"Fishlegs doesn't have the hands or nerves for field surgery, you do. You've helped me on the field many times, Tuff, it's time you had the proper training."

"But it's boring!"

"Tuff, suck it up and read the damn books."

The blonde's face fell. "Wish Stoick was still here. He outlawed reading when I was little."

Stoick winced at that. His grandfather was the one who had outlawed reading and it was done long before Tuffnut had even been born as something evil and dangerous. Hiccup had changed all that by proving that books and reading could save lives and helped those who could read do so. Until about ten years ago the only ones who could read were chiefs, their descendants and their second in commands. Pretty much anyone of royal blood. Hiccup made sure everyone had a chance to learn.

"Yeah, well even if he was here he'd be telling you to get your ass moving. Gothi's not going to be here forever and the tribe needs a doctor," Gobber pointed out.

He glanced past the grumping teen and grinned when the elder in questioned hobbled toward them. One corner of her withered mouth lifted at the sight of Tuffnut sulking over his studies and with wrinkly yet still very skilled hands she swatted him across the rear with her staff and pointed one long finger at the book sticking precariously out of his satchel.

Tuffnut gave a yelp and turned toward her, rubbing his rear. "I'm going, I'm going!" he grumbled before stalking away in a grump.

Gobber chuckled merrily. "Well I suppose we won't need to fly up to your place," he told the elder as she made herself at home in the forge. She didn't often visit the forge since she had been an active warrior in decades now rode a dragon although she did have a number of Terrible Terrors that took up residence in her small hut.

Gothi hobbled to the warm hearth as one hand ran across Gobber's dragon, Grump's flank. There she stared into the flames for a few moments before glancing back at the two men. Her gaze shifted from Gobber to Stoick when it stayed as she studied him with pale calculating blue eyes. After a few minutes she gestured for him to come to her and kneel to her height. Stoick was not used to such treatment. Gothi was always mysterious but she had never made him kneel before. She leaned her staff against the wall of the hearth then ran her finger through Stoick's loose hair, over his ears, along his jaw and back up to his temples, then his nose and chin. She looked utterly perplex when she stepped back and gave Gobber a questioning look.

"We don't know. He just came back like this."

She made a few gestures toward Stoick that neither man liked.

"Trust me, he was…well dead when we sent him to Valhalla," Gobber assured. "The body was cremated and ship sunk by the time we left Valka's island. No offense, Stoick, but you were. Hiccup was afraid what Drago's people might do to your body and we couldn't bring you home for a proper send off. But regardless, no one could have cast a spell on him in that amount of time. Things happened far too fast."

"Can we talk as if I'm actually here," Stoick snapped. He ran a hand through his hair. "Gobber says I died. Maybe I did or maybe my heart stopped for a moment and when Hiccup sent me to Valhalla it restarted. Maybe it was the heat from the fire or the ship sinking or whatever. That doesn't explain why I'm practically Hiccup's age now. If anything I should be more scarred than I am."

"What do you mean?" Gobber asked in surprise. "What scars?"

"It's nothing."

"Show us."

"Gobber…"

"Now, young man," Gobber ordered in his most fatherly tone that he would often take with Hiccup when the young man refused to listen. He gave Gothi a wink and she tapped her staff against her other hand ready to whack Stoick as she had Tuffnut.

Glaring at his best friend he practically dared him to make him but when Gobber did nothing but meet his gaze Stoick sighed. "Fine," he grumbled, removing the fur vest and tattered tunic. "It's nothing major. A little fire can't kill me. I mean I battled dragons most my life for Odin's sake. This is…"

"A plasma blast," Valka said in awe from the doorway.

Stoick's hands fell to his sides as his mouth fell open and he stared at him wife still just as lovely as when he last saw her. And she had no clue who he was but that didn't stop his heart from soaring at the mere sight of her or his instinct to go to her. Without so much as a second thought he crossed the space between them and wrapped one arm around her waist while cupping the back of her head with his free hand and kissed her with all the love he felt for her and how much he missed her, not just since the battle against Drago but all the years they had been separated before that, as if that one kiss could heal all hurts.

"Oh oh…" was all he heard from Gobber behind him.


	6. Chapter 6

Beyond Valhalla 6

At first Valka was tense with surprise and instinct told her to shove this strange young man away but something deeper, something from long ago made her hand still and rather than strike the man she leaned into the kiss and placed her hands on his biceps. The feeling was all too familiar, almost like her first kiss with Stoick just less clumsy and lacking in fear. When it broke she was breathless and blinking in confusion. Before her stood the stunning form of a very young Stoick. He looked about the same age Stoick was when he started trying to woo her. He looked remarkably like Stoick at that age.

Without thought she reached up and began touching his face, tracing out where age lines should be and down smooth cheeks that had yet to grow a thick brushy beard. "How…? This is remarkable. Truly remarkable." She pinched his cheeks and pulled them slightly, making his face stretch a little.

"Valka…" Stoick couldn't help but laugh even though his cheeks were starting to hurt.

She ducked under him and began checking him out, poking his sides and rear, sniffing him as a dragon would before catching himself and standing. She flushed slightly and brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Eh…well, Vikings are much friendlier than I remember if their greeting with kisses these days."

Stoick just stared at her for a moment before chuckling. "I…"

"Valka," she chirped, sticking out her hand.

"I know," he laughed. "Valka, it's m-"

"Stephan," Gobber said quickly as he placed a hand a Valka's slim shoulder. "This is Stoick's eldest nephew, Stephan."

She looked surprised and confused at first but after a moment nodded as if it was the best explanation for someone who looked so much like her late husband to be standing before her. "Remarkable," she breathed.

Stoick's shoulders fell and he glared at Gobber. The other man only shook his head as if to tell him it wasn't the time. But it was. It was. Stoick was alive and back on Berk and Valka was there and as beautiful as ever and even though he was now the younger of the two if shouldn't matter because they were together and…

A tapping sound made them all look at Gothi who had been all but forgotten. She gave Stoick a pointed look, one that clearly said Valka wasn't ready to learn the truth about Stoick just yet. So with a sigh he kept quiet. For now.

Gothi placed a withered hand on Valka's forearm and gestured for her to study the wound on Stoick's chest and side. It took a moment for Valka to gather her wits about her and go back to the strange young man who had stolen her breath away. And another moment to bring herself to touch him again but when she did Stoick relaxed completely, welcoming the gentle touches as her fingers moved over the rippled and twisted flesh. Her gaze flicked from the scar and up to his face, still in awe. She mapped out the damaged flesh and was able to determine exactly which direction the dragon blast came from and what species it was.

"A Nightfury," she whispered in surprise. "You encountered Nightfuries?"

Stoick stiffened, fearful that she might be able to determine which Nightfury had shot him but she was too at awe to make the connection. Her fingers sprawl across the wound as she stood at her full height which still only brought her to just under his nose. She could have kept her hand there forever and he would be content to just stand there with her. But he wasn't sure how to answer her question.

"I…I don't really remember," he finally answered, trying to be honest. "It happened rather fast. I was protecting someone I love."

"Oh…she must be very special."

He smiled lovingly at her. "She is…but it was my son."

"Oh!" Valka blushed beautifully and he almost kissed her again she was so lovely. "Is he alright?"

"Yes," he answered with pride.

She opened her mouth as if to ask something else but quickly closed it and stepped away. "Well you're lucky. Such a blast from a Nightfury should have killed you. My…" She closed her eyes for a moment. "My husband wasn't so lucky. He succumbed to his wounds." She bit her lower lip and looked torn even saying the words.

Gobber went to her before Stoick could. "Maybe you should go check on the hatchlings. You know the little darlings like it when you visit." He gave her a one arm squeeze and pressed his head to hers like a big brother would a younger sibling. Just he would with Stoick when they were young before Stoick took over in height.

"Hmm…I suppose," she agreed. She spared Stoick one last gaze as she passed him. "You might want to reconsider kissing strange women when you first meet them, Stephan. Not everyone would be so forgiving. Some might even give you a beating."

Stoick smiled. "I'll keep that in mind."

She eyed him again, still unable to believe what she was seeing, then called for Cloudjumper and took off.

"I don't think I'm going to get used to seeing her again without wanting to shower her in kisses," Stoick whispered more to himself than Gobber as he watched his beloved fly away.

Gobber slapped his forehead. "Oh sweet Odin! You just had to send me the youthful, hormonal Stoick. As if that wasn't a trial the first time around." He glanced to Gothi who smiled softly up at Stoick, obviously happy to see Stoick so in love again. "You're not much help, Gothi. We still need to figure out how all this happened."

She only smiled and made a few hand gestures. Then she hobbled off, pausing long enough to pat Stoick's arm in a reassuring way before leaving to attend other business.

"She always was particular," Stoick muttered once the elder was gone.

"Gothi or Valka?" Gobber asked as he came to stand next to Stoick.

"Both I suppose."

Gobber chuckled. "That they are."

Sighing, Stoick turned and leaned against the door frame. "So now what? Did Gothi say what to do? How do I get my family back?"

His friend shook his head. "Just that the Valkyries sent you back for a reason just not what that reason could be. But I'm pretty sure kissing you wife when you're almost young enough to be her son is not on the agenda."

"She my wife."

"Who thinks you're dead."

"So."

"You're what, twenty-five now and barely have any facial hair. I think people will start talking if she's making out with someone fifteen years her junior."

"I'm ten years older than her."

"You iwere/I ten years older than her now you're not," Gobber pointed out. "Stoick, you're not the man you once were. And you're forgetting about one very important thing."

Stoick glanced at him with a rather bored annoyed looked that was very similar to one Hiccup would give when he was being lectured about something he thought utterly stupid and a waste of time. "And what would that be, Gobber?"

"That Valka is not only a recent widow but also has an overbearing son who not only just got her back in his life but is also the chief of our fine village and won't take too kindly to someone wooing his mother while he's panicking over the birth of his first child, while preparing for possible war against Drago and his army. Sure, Hiccup will be all kinds of warm and fussy to a strange kid looking like his Dad making kissy faces at his mom." He folded his arms across his massive chest. "He's never going to understand, Stoick. It goes against everything you ever tried to instill in him about sorcery and magic."

The young man nodded to himself. "Hiccup proved me wrong about dragons and it would appear the Valkyries proved me wrong about magic. If anyone can figure it out its Hiccup. Besides, maybe this is a second chance."

"Oh oh."

Stoick pushed off the wall and walked around the forge. "Think about it. Maybe this is a second chance for me. A chance to have a real relationship with my son, help him lead the tribe. Guide him. That was the original plan, right? I was to retire and he lead and I help as needed. Maybe help with the children too. And Valka…I'll have to woo her again but well she's worth it and that was what I intended to do after Hiccup found her." He whirled around with a happy smile. "It's perfect! I don't have the responsibilities of being chief anymore so I can actually be there for my family now. It won't be the same but…"

Spitelout jogged up to the forge a little breathless and disheveled. He pushed his helmet back on his head as he stepped inside. "What did I miss?" he huffed.

"Your brother lost his mind," Gobber reported in distain.

"No, I haven't," Stoick objected, sounding way too much like his son.

A small smirk lifted Gobber's lips. He limped over to the young man and before Stoick could move away the older man pulled him into a hug. "I've missed you, old friend," he whispered into Stoick's hair.

Startled, Stoick froze. Gobber had always been his best friend and they were extremely close, closer than most. They had been through hell and back again, had watched over each other through thick and thin. They were closer than brothers. And although he would not say it aloud, Stoick had missed Gobber too. He wrapped his arms around his friend and held him tightly. He rested his cheek against the blacksmith's bald head. "I haven't lost my mind," he joked only to receive a tight squeeze.

"Yes, you have, but I'm here to look after you like I always have," Gobber murmured as he let Stoick go.

"Well he's sure to lose his mind then," Spitelout teased but he moved in to give his older brother a one armed hug. Then he ruffled Stoick's hair with a chuckle. "We'll figure this out, Stoick. We'll figure this all out."

And for the first time since awaking in this form Stoick felt both a home and even more lost then being stranded on Valka's island. And while he was still the tallest of the three he didn't feel at all like himself. He truly felt like some lost kid that everyone was trying to comfort and make promises that none of them could keep.

. . .

Hiccup awoke sometime in the late afternoon. He was groggy at first, thinking he was at home. "Uh..?" he murmured as he glanced around. The table in the dining room across from where he was lounging was far too large and the décor was definitely not from his and Astrid's home. This was Snotlout's place.

It appeared Hiccup was alone. The fire in the hearth was now only small ambers and there was a pot on the table with a bowl next to it. Stretching, Hiccup got up and slowly made his way to the table. His bad leg was stiff from the way he had been sitting and he tried shaking it out. There was an audible pop from his knee but once his placed his metal foot on the ground it felt much better.

On the table was a note in Snotlout's messy scribe that took two tries before Hiccup could make any sense of what his cousin was trying to tell him.

"Eat and chill. The dragon races got cancelled due to other duties. Don't eat all the lamb!" the note read.

"Okay…" He opened the pot and breathed in the smell of the food. He was hungry but he didn't feel right being in someone else's home by himself, eating their food. It was one thing with Gobber, he was like a second father to him, but the Jorgensons, while family, were not as close to him. He hesitated, rubbing one arm with an age old worry of someone getting mad at him then decided to forget eating all together. No doubt Snotlout would be bitching at him again but Hiccup simply didn't feel comfortable being in someone else's house alone. He left everything as it was, making sure the lid was securely on the pot before leaving.

There didn't appear to be anything wrong in the village which was always a good sight to see and even Toothless and Hookfang had stopped their bickering. Toothless happily bounded up to him and gave him a nuzzle. "Hey bud," Hiccup greeted him. "Want to go for a flight before we check in on Astrid?"

At his friend's happy yip Hiccup laughed and climbed up on Toothless's back. Everything should be fine for a half hour without them and Toothless did need to stretch his wings. They flew off for a quick spin around the island.

. . .

"Hey, their flying off," Ruffnut reported when Hiccup and Toothless flew over the Dragon Academy.

Astrid only gave her husband and his dragon a wave. "That's okay, it gives us a chance to talk in peace," she said softly as she watched the duo fly by.

"He better of actually ate this time or I'm kicking his scrawny ass," Snotlout said sternly. He didn't like how exhausted his cousin has been looking lately.

Tuffnut gave a huff. "Well maybe if he relaxed a bit he'd be fun again."

"Hiccup's just under a lot of stress. He'll be fine once Drago's out of the picture," Fishlegs threw in.

"Well we don't have forever," Snotlout countered.

"You just want to take charge," Fishlegs shot back.

Eret rolled his eyes as he listened to the much younger riders. He stepped up to Astrid, his arms folded across his chest. "Are they always like this?"

She smirked. "It's worse when Hiccup's involved. They keep trying to make him the middle guy and pick one way or the other. Or Snotlout tries to pick an argument but he always arguing with him about something."

"And that's how he chose as his second in command. And I thought I had issues."

"You do, but Hiccup's are mainly family related. It's a competitive thing."

"Ah…" Eret said with a knowing nod. "Sounds like my brothers and me. So why not just trick him into a vacation?"

Everyone froze and stared at the former trapper with wide eyes.

"What?" Snotlout asked in surprise.

Eret looked at each of them as if they were daft. "Trick him. Let's see, he's exhausted, not sleeping well, his focus is off and he's avoiding close interactions with people. I can barely get more than two words out of him lately when he used to talk my ear off about dragons. He thinks of nothing but work and I'm pretty sure Toothless is not getting nearly as much flight time as he needs and he's even being snippy with his mother and Gobber from what I've heard."

The others looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

"And you've both tried talking to him about taking a break, right?"

Snotlout gave a grumbled agreement while Astrid simply nodded.

"So trick him. Make him take a vacation. It shouldn't be that hard."

Fishlegs shook his head. "I don't know. Hiccup's been under stress before. He's not that easy to trick."

"Unless you're Mildew and makes up a convincing story about an island of Nightfuries," Ruffnut pointed out.

"We are not tricking him into searching for Nightfuries. That nearly broke his heart," Astrid warned, glaring at the other girl.

"Not to mention being captured by Outcasts," Tuffnut reminded them.

Snotlout stared at the ground, his eyes thoughtful. He inhaled sharply as a thought struck him. "I got it! I know how to get Hiccup to take the vacation."

They all gathered around him in excitement, happy to finally have a possible solution to their friend's problem.

"But we're going to need a little help," Snotlout told his friends. "And I know just the guy to help us."


	7. Chapter 7

Beyond Valhalla 7

It was almost a normal sight to see Valka hanging off Cloudjumper like a little deranged Terrible Terror spying on the workings of the village as if she were still not quite part of its world. This time she seemed more focused then usual and with a particular target in mind. Hiccup chuckled to himself in bemusement, still unable to get over his mother's antics. And people said he acted like a dragon at times. He may speak fluent Dragonese but he didn't quite act like one as far as he was concerned. Rubbing Toothless's head he urged his friend to land next to Cloudjumper, not that Toothless needed any encouragement. Toothless adored the larger dragon and loved Valka as if she were his mother as well.

The Nightfury grasped onto the rock cropping and hung precariously over the cliff as Hiccup jumped over to Cloudjumper. The larger dragon caught him with practiced ease and slid him down so he could stand next to his mother. Valka barely looked away from her prey.

"So what's caught your interest so completely?" Hiccup asked, still in awe of the way she could hang from nothing but a claw hundreds of feet above the town and feel no feel. If she fell she would never survive without a dragon catching her. If he fell at least he had his flight suit and Toothless.

"Hmm?" she asked, seemingly not hearing him. She blinked owlishly and glanced at him. "Hello, Hiccup."

Hiccup laughed. "Hello. So who are we spying on today?"

"You make it sound like a do this all the time," she giggled, smiling fondly at her son.

He shrugged. "At least once a day."

"Oh. Well I'm not spying…I'm just curious."

"About what?" It hadn't been quite a year since her return to civilization and Hiccup liked to think that his mother was adapting well but it was obvious she was still very skittish as well extremely curious, although her way of going about answers usually led to a kidnapping or some poor soul on the verge of a heart attack.

She looked back to the target of her interest. "This new comer. Have you spoken with him?"

"For a few seconds. Gobber said he's my cousin Stephan…on Dad's side?"

"Hmm…"

"Do I have a cousin Stephan?" Hiccup asked also curious about who the man was.

For a moment she said nothing, her gaze shifting only as the man far below walked along the market place with Gobber and Spitelout. "I don't know." Her gaze shifted to meet her son's. "I don't remember. It's been a long time, son. My memory is a little hazy. But he looks remarkably like your father."

That made Hiccup laugh. "I don't see it."

She grinned at him. "He wasn't born with a bushy beard and long hair. When he was your age he had a baby face. Very soft and clean shaven." Her gaze went out of focus as she remembered being very young and in love with a much older man. Her fingers went to her lips as she thought back to the surprising kiss at the forge. "He was very endearing."

"And top ten things I did not need to know," Hiccup sighed, unable to picture his father as "baby face" or soft let alone without a beard.

"Stephan is a spitting image of him."

Hiccup shrugged. "I guess that's what comes with being family. Snotlout takes after his dad, I take after you…I got Dad's nose though…and Stephan must have followed the Haddock line and took after Dad. Cousins do that I guess."

"Perhaps." But there was doubt and intrigue and pretty much she was in a hunting mood for reasons Hiccup could never fathom.

Shaking his head all Hiccup could do was smile at her. "Well do me a favor and don't scare the guy. I don't want to get stuck counseling another of your victims."

"I've never harmed anyone," she objected as if insulted.

"Eret?"

She gave a huff. "He's a dragon trapper. You shouldn't hang out with the likes of him."

"I don't have time to 'hang out' and you held a knife to his throat iafter/i he helped us stop Drago the first iand/i second time."

She rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Stephan. "And if he ever harms a dragon again I'll gut him. Now don't you have better things to do then hang off the side of a cliff?"

"Don't you?"

A soft chuckle escape her. "Perhaps I just like watching."

He shook his head. His mother was a strange one but no more so then the twins so he could live with whatever mischief she got herself in as long as she and no one else were put in harm's way. "Alright. Well I'm going to check on Astrid then work on the crib a little before anything else happens. Will you be alright?"

"I will," she said absently before grabbing his armor and pulling him close enough to kiss his cheek, something she rarely did. "Get some rest, darling. The bags under your eyes are getting darker."

"I did sleep, Mom. But…yeah, I try getting some rest tonight. Who knows, maybe I'll make it an early night." But it wasn't something he could promise, not now that he was chief and almost as soon as he and Toothless landed in the village square there was someone with some sort of trouble.

As for Valka, stalking Stephan began her new hobby. She was almost certain Gobber was lying and this Stephan was not who he said he was. In fact she knew Stephan was not Hiccup's cousin. He knew her. And only one person kissed the way he did. She touched her lips again.

Stoick was alive.

. . .

It had been a few days since returning to Berk and Stoick found it easier and easier to slip into the role of Stephan. Most of the people he had grown up with who should have recognized him where too preoccupied with their lives to take much notice of him and the few that did, like Bucket, were quickly persuaded by the story that he was Hiccup's older cousin Stephan home for a visit. Of course Gobber was over protective of him, quickly coming up with an elaborate to explain why he was gone to long until just about everyone believed Stoick was indeed Stephan. Of course that didn't get him any closer to Hiccup. The boy was always on the run and while Gobber didn't say anything he was see the worry in his old friend's eye.

Gobber would watch Hiccup like a father watching their child walk for the first time, with pride and worry as he zipped from one task to another. "He's going to burn out," he murmured not happy in the least to see the young man so buried in work.

"What? He's working hard," Stoick asked, his voice filled with pride. He waved a hand at the newly built village. "Look what's he's accomplished."

"Aye, with much sacrifice to his person freedom." He took a shuddered breath. "Stoick, you don't understand how much your death affected him or how much he blames himself."

Stoick sighed. Leave it to Gobber to notice things about Hiccup that he didn't. "I don't remember everything that happened that day but it wasn't his fault…or Toothless's. Drago…"

"Yeah…"

"He needs a break away from all this."

"Haddocks don't take breaks."

"Liar."

"What?"

Gobber gave him that knowing look. "Well if his friends have anything to say about it ithat/i Haddock is taking a break soon. They've been plotting all week but can't seem to get past the planning stage before he shoots them down."

"Who's leading this little mutiny?"

Gobber gaze grew suspicious. "What are you up to?"

Stoick shrugged. "You said Hiccup needs a break, I'll help."

"Oh I'm not going to like this, am I?"

"It's a good plan," Stoick insisted a little surprised that his friend would doubt him.

"Huh uh."

The younger man folded his arms across his chest and looked away. "What he needs is a week just to himself with no one to bug him or distract him."

"Yep. Maybe you should take that up with Snotlout and Astrid. They're the leading force behind the 'Hiccup take a vacation' escapade."

Stoick nodded. That made sense. Astrid wouldn't want to see Hiccup stressed out as he was and Snotlout, regardless of his brass attitude, did care about Hiccup and was sometimes a little over protective. Stoick was actually happy when he learned Hiccup had chosen him as his second. He'd track down Snotlout and give him some proper pointers on how to get stubborn people to take a vacation. And then he'd make sure his son took a well-deserved vacation before springing the news that he was alive.

With a plan set in his mind Stoick left Gobber in search of Astrid. He had only been able to speak to the girl a handful of times since returning and he couldn't help but stare in awe at her swelling belly each time feeling like a proud grandfather to be and fighting the urge to shower her with anything she and the babe could possibly need. But he wasn't the man he once was and she would never understand or appreciate him doing so as he was now, Hiccup's "cousin" or not. Nonetheless Stoick didn't feel right without bringing her something so snagged a freshly baked loaf of bread cooling on Gobber's windowsill. The blacksmith gave him a dirty look that Stoick only grinned at then rolled his eyes and went back to work.

"You're only going to make things worse," Gobber warned but Stoick refused to heed his words. This was his second chance at life and he wanted to help his son anyway he could even if that meant helping his friends make him take a vacation.

It felt both weird and welcoming trudging up the hill to the large hut next to the Great Hall. It looked similar to the one before it except the dragon motif on the top of the building had been changed to a Nightfury. The old hut – Stoick's hut – was gone now, destroyed in the battle against Drago and his Bewilderbeast and its remains removed to make room for the new chief's hut to be built. Stoick had honestly been both hoping and fearing the idea of stepping into his own home so was a little happy to hear Hiccup wasn't stuck living in a house full of old ghosts that might haunt him. At least with a new hut Hiccup could have a fresh beginning.

Taking a deep breath, Stoick raised his fist to the thick wooden door and rapped loudly on it as he normally would when visiting any of his people. He didn't realize how hard he knocked until after and shook his head. He had to keep reminding himself he wasn't chief anymore and had to act like someone closer to Hiccup's age. That was going to be challenging.

No one answered even after the second loud knock despite there being light flickering inside and the obvious grumble of a dragon. Surprised, Stoick slowly pushed the door open, not wanting to startle Astrid if she was inside and busy or had fallen asleep. But Astrid wasn't inside. Instead he found Hiccup sitting on the floor busily craving into the side of a large rectangular wooden box. No, it was not a box but rather the beginning of a crib. His focus was so completely on his task that he didn't even look up when Stoick stepped inside but Toothless looked up.

At first the Nightfury bared his teeth but he quickly brightened when he saw who it was. His long form uncurled from next to the hearth and bounded happily over to Stoick. He rubbed up against the man and curled around him, mumbling in his own language.

Stoick chuckled and held the bread out of reach…well, at least for now but if Toothless decided to stand on his hind legs he would reach it easily. Thankfully the dragon seemed more interested in getting a little attention the stealing the beard. "Alright, alright," he said as he placed the bread on the table. "A little scratch is in order." His fingers scratched that little place under his chin that made Toothless's eyes roll into the back of his head before he fell over with a thump.

Hiccup jumped in surprise and looked away from his work. "Toothless?" he asked in shock as the ebony creature rolled around merrily on the floor. He blinked in confusion then looked up at Stephan who smiled down at the dragon as Toothless rolled back onto his feet to rub his big head against the man's side. "Whoa…he's not usually that friendly. He must really like you."

"I must remind him of someone," Stephan answered, petting Toothless's head. He moved away from the dragon to get a better look at what Hiccup was up to. "He's very protective of you," he said when Toothless refused to leave his side. He gave the dragon a stern look that would normally the Nightfury backing off but it didn't have the effect it once did and Toothless immediately placed his head on his lap the moment he sat down.

Hiccup looked even more perplex. "Usually…what is going on with you, bud? You're being more of a big baby then usual and with a stranger no less. Sorry about him."

Stoick – Stephan – placed his hand on top of the dragon's head. "It's alright. He's not a bother." He scratched behind one ear, making Toothless push against his hand. Big sorrowful greengage eyes glanced up at him whenever he stopped. "It's alright, Toothless," he whispered soft enough that only the dragon could hear him. "It wasn't your fault, I know that. I forgive you."

"Uh?" Hiccup asked, glancing up from his work.

Stephan shook his head and went back to scratching Toothless. "I said you have talent."

"Oh, thanks." A small blush filled Hiccup's cheeks. "My Dad taught me…but I'm better with designing weapons and working with leather but I try."

"You underestimate yourself, Hiccup. This is better than anything I ever made," Stephan said before realizing what he said.

"Thanks, but you should have seen the stuff my Dad made," Hiccup argued not thinking anything of what Stephan said. "The crib he built for me was gorgeous. I would use it but it got destroyed in the battle against Drago. And Astrid's…well I suffered a similar fate…with her axe after the Flightmare took her uncle."

Stoick winced. He remembered that particular day…Fearless Flynn being frozen and then killed by the rare dragon right before young Astrid who was only six at the time. She had taken her anger out on anything she could and wreaked havoc on anything she could get her hands on. Her infant crib was met a very tragic end.

"Why didn't you ask Gobber for help?" he asked as Hiccup worked on a delicate curve.

"My baby, my job. Besides it'll be the first thing I've built in a long time that's not dragon related or for the rest of the tribe." He looked up with a lopsided smile and shrugged. "I guess you can say I'm doing this for me."

The older man nodded in understanding. He had felt the same way when Valka was pregnant with Hiccup. He had wanted everything to be perfect and went to great lengths to accomplish it. There were nights when he refused to sleep in order to make sure everything was done on time, and he was lucky he did. Not only was he off battling dragons but Hiccup was born a month early in the middle of one of the worse storms Berk had ever faced. No doubt Hiccup feared history repeating itself and wanted to finish in plenty of time. But unlike Valka, Astrid was due to give birth during the hot season, and she had over a month to go.

"Well if you ask me you're doing a fine job, so…Hiccup." Stoick fumbled almost forgetting himself.

Hiccup's brows rose. "Yeah?" he asked, thinking Stephan had asked a question.

"Uh…oh, I was just wondering do you explore anymore?" Stephan asked hurriedly.

Toothless gave a whine and pulled away, grumbling as he lumbered back to his corner and curled up but not before shooting Hiccup a grumpy look as if it were his fault they were soaring through the skies anymore. Hiccup matched his look, not so grumpy but more apologetic.

He sighed and turned his focus to the dragon pattern on the crib. Surprisingly it wasn't a Nightfury or a Deadly Nadder but rather a Terrible Terror. "No." He laughed. "I guess the closest I got to exploring was getting kidnapped by Alvin and sleeping for nearly three days."

"You're at war with the Outcasts again?" That was outrageous. Alvin and his Outcasts were supposed to be their allies.

"No. Astrid told him I'm was on the verge of a meltdown or some such nonsense and set up this whole kidnapping thing to make sure I got a few days away from the stress around here." He shook his head. "It was completely stupid. And Alvin is insane, not Dagur insane but crazy enough. He kept acting like he was my Dad and checking on me. You would never think we used to be enemies. He acts a lot like Gobber when I'm sick."

Stoick only laughed. "I would love to see that."

"Well you ever get sick I'll be sure to stick him on you and he'll just love the fact you're my cousin and look more like my Dad than I do." Hiccup nodded to himself as if that was the future game plan.

The other man laughed. "Alright. If it'll save you the embarrassment."

Hiccup only blew at the craved work. "Yeah. This is going to be great when it's done."

"I'm sure it will be, Hiccup. I'm sure it will," Stoick said as he stood up. He paused before leaving, noticing something he didn't like, namely the dark bags under his son's eyes. "Are you alright?"

The young chief nodded but didn't look up. "Yeah, fine."

"Don't forget to take care of yourself. A chief's no good to his people if he's too exhausted to care for himself."

"Uh huh." But Hiccup was now fusing over some minute detail.

Stoick shook his head. Hiccup was as stubborn as they came but even the most stubborn chief needed a break. It was surely a Haddock fault because it had been hard for Stoick to take a break as well when he first became chief, especially after he married Valka and she became pregnant with Hiccup, so he wasn't exactly the best person to judge Hiccup for delving into his duties as he was. Hopefully whatever Snotlout and Astrid had planned to make Hiccup take a vacation worked. The question of course was where were they?

Night had fallen over Berk and torches now glowed brightly along the streets. He took his time walking back to Gobber's, waving whenever someone called out to him and having to remind himself that he was now known as Stephan. He debated about getting a drink, then about trying to track down Valka but she was always on the go so finding her was never easy unless he spotted Cloud Jumper.

He was just passing the tavern when a hand darted out of the darkness, covered his mouth and he was yanked in between two buildings. A sharp bone blade was pressed to his throat as his assailant shifted behind him. Not one to take being attacked in stride, Stoick grasped the small wrist of his attacker and yanked her in front of him. The woman seemed prepared and twisted around, ducking as Hiccup would to break his hold. All the while the blade was within close reach of something vital. However when she stood it was she moved quickly and threw her entire weight into him causing him to slam into the wall of the tavern.

"You are not who you're pretending to be," a female voice growled. "Hiccup does not have a cousin named Stephan."

Surprised, Stoick shook his head to clear it and glared down at the woman, ready to fight back only to stare into twin pools of green. All fight left him as those beautiful orbs searched his eyes and his large hands moved of their own accord to cup slim shoulders.

"It's you, isn't it?" Valka's soft voice whispered a breath away. "Stoick?"

A weight was suddenly lifted and Stoick left out a deep sigh. "Yeah, Val, it's me, love."

There was a choked sob. "I knew it…I knew it had to be you."

"Val…I can explain," he said hurriedly.

She looked up at him and shook his head. "Just shut up."

And she didn't give him much choice. She pressed up against him, grasped the back of his head in both hands and kissed him deeply. He pulled her even closer and deepened the kiss. This was what he wanted to do in the ice caves and at the forge and if they were alone both times he would have ravished her and made love with such passion and devotion that neither of them would have left the bed for days. And now…now he had that chance if she was willing.


	8. Chapter 8

Beyond Valhalla 8

It had been decades since he felt so young and so deeply in love. How they had made it to Valka's hut was a mystery to Stoick but they did so in a mix of grasping hands and kissing lips until her back was pressed against her door and she was fumbling with the handle. When they were inside the small hut high on the hill clothing were removed, some carefully while others were unintentionally ripped but all discarded in their need to simply feel the other.

Valka nearly fell when her legs bumped into the edge of her bed and she gave a low sultry laugh as she realized where they were. She instantly looked as young and shy as they first time they made love many years ago and Stoick had to stop from proceeding forward in memory that it had been over twenty years since they made love and that she most likely hadn't been with anyone since. He stroked her cheek and kissed her brow tenderly.

"We don't need to go any further, Val," he whispered softly, his cheek resting atop her head. "I'm just happy holding you." And to prove it he held her a little tighter.

Her arms went around him and she snuggled a little closer. "Yes…but…" She fumbled for words and Stoick's smile broaden as he pressed his lips to her hair. He sounded much like Hiccup when he was being indecisive. "I want this. I want you…I just can't believe you're back." She pulled back and stared up at him, her hands going to his smooth cheeks. "Is this a dream? Or did the Valkyries truly send you back to us?"

He chuckled softly. "If this is a dream then it is the best I've had in a very long time."

She smiled up at him, her fingers brushing over his lips. Her eyes studied his before she leaned up and pressed a chastised kiss to his lips. "Let's take it slow, yes?"

"Yes," he agreed more than content to take things as slow as his beloved needed.

They made love almost the entire night, taking things slow and easy. Stoick didn't move without her permission and when he did it was with measured ease and gentle, always soft and never hard. Even after all their years apart he knew her body and what pleased her most and made her whimper and cry out. She tried pleasing him but Stoick was happy just to service her until they both cried out in pleasure, their bodied shaking and quivering in pleasure.

When it was over Stoick lay back on the bed with his beloved in his arms, her lithe form and long limbs wrapped around him. He stroked her long hair now loose and free of their tight braids. He had missed running his fingers through her lush hair. Even though there was now grey running through her auburn locks and laugh lines adorn her face she was still as lovely as the day he began courting her.

Valka placed her head on his chest, her long fingers carelessly running through the red hair on his chest. "It's not as thick as it was," she observed in a sleepy voice.

"No," he agreed, chuckling.

"Hmm…I miss this," she murmured, her eyes closing and hand stilling. "I never realized just how much I missed being held."

"Same here," he admitted, rubbing his thumb in circles over her arm. Although he had taken a partner from time to time when his nights had gotten lonely and he desperately needed the touch of another human being he had never taken another lover.

"You should have taken another wife. You should never I waited for me," Valka said with guilt.

Stoick kissed her forehead and gave her another squeeze. "Never. No one could ever replace you."

There was a soft strangled sob and she pressed her face against his chest. "You're too good, Stoick. Hiccup was lucky to have you." She gave a throaty yawn. "You're lucky to have each other."

Stoick shook his head but she didn't notice. "No, I was lucky to him…and you." But she was already asleep and didn't catch his words.

That night Stoick didn't get much sleep. He was comfortably and content with the woman he loved in his arms but his mind was weary and travelled back to the biggest problem Berk seemed to be facing which was as it should be for a chief. But he wasn't chief anymore, Hiccup was. However, the problem was Hiccup and the mental state of the young chief. Hiccup was not doing well and even though Stoick knew it wasn't his fault he wondered just how hard things would have been for his son had he retired as plan and made Hiccup chief when he wanted instead of this whole Drago business happening. Would Hiccup have been able to handle the transition better with him there to fall back on or would he be worse as he tried to prove himself? Would he have even listened if Hiccup came to him with a problem? Stoick wasn't so sure and felt a little guilty for putting his son through all this. Maybe he should step forward and tell Hiccup he was there so that he could somehow help the boy…but maybe after Hiccup had a proper vacation. He had a few ideas for that but he still needed to talk to Snotlout and Astrid and see what they had planned.

The air grew cool as night passed to early morning and sleep continued to refuse to come to Stoick. He carefully untangled himself from Valka and got out of bed. He made sure she was covered in a warm fur before pulling on his trousers and boots. "Morning, Cloudjumper," he called to the large dragon as he gathered firewood from the pile stacked next to the hut. The big dragon raised his mighty head and blinked at him before curling up and going back to sleep. Stoick only smiled as he returned inside with his wood and began working on the hearth, hoping to take away the chill before Valka awoke and maybe start breakfast. Odin knew he loved her but it surely wasn't for her cooking skills.

He went about fetching what he needed, gathering a few eggs from Mulch and Bucket's farm as well as milk and bread and making sure to clean up and place all the ready eggs in a basket for Bucket to find when he did his morning collection as he used to do when he was still himself and gathering supplies for Hiccup. He momentarily thought of gathering supplies for his son and his wife but decided against it for now. Hiccup would be too confused by the offering and might refuse it or stress over it which was the last thing Stoick wanted. He took the food he had gathered and returned to Valka, thankful that it was still dark and a thick fog had blown in from the sea. He didn't want people accusing Valka of any wrong doing. They may be husband and wife but right now he didn't it.

When he returned to the hut the hearth was nice and toasty and perfect for cooking. Valka was still sound asleep on the large bed, a happy little smile adorning her beautiful face. Stoick hummed softly as he cooked, glancing up from time to time just to gaze at her. He missed doing this…watching her sleep as he prepared breakfast. He was just laying slices of bread on the stone to toast when there was a knock followed by the door opening and Gobber limping in.

"Valka…I've got a…oh! Never mind, problem solved itself," the blacksmith said with a tiny nervous laugh before looking around in surprise. His blue eyes widened in surprise when he saw Valka asleep across the room. "Oh…OH! By Odin's beard, please tell me she knows and you're not…" His voice fell to a hush when the woman shifted in her bed. "…messing around."

"Gobber!" Stoick chastised in disgust. He gave Valka and adoring smile as she cuddled happily under the furs. "She's my wife and she might pretend to be naïve but she's the smartest woman I know. She figured it out the moment I kissed her she was just in shock."

His friend nodded but he looked doubtful and kept glancing to Valka in worry, as if he might have to whisk Stoick away if she woke up.

"Gobber, relax," Stoick assured, waving toward the table with his knife. "Can you grab me those plates. Thanks." He began loading the plates with toast as Gobber got the butter and cutlery and set the table. It was almost like old times and the two began joking around, feeling completely at ease. And when Valka awoke she only smiled pleasantly at the two men and gave Stoick a morning kiss. He grinned into it. "Morning, beautiful," he breathed against her lips.

"Good morning, Stoick," she responded.

A rapid tap at the door made everyone freeze and both Valka and Gobber inhaled sharply. "Oh dear," Gobber said quickly, glancing at the shirtless Stoick and Valka wrapped only in a fur with her hair down and mused. There was no escaping what the two had been up to.

Valka bit her lower lip looking torn between fight or flight and then, much to Gobber's amusement, grabbed Stoick and shoved him into the corner next to the door and completely out of sight unless her guest were to step inside. Her fur fell, revealing her nudity but she quickly yanked it back into place, gave Stoick a pointed look to stay silent and answered the door.

"Hiccup!" she chirped, holding the fur in place with one hand.

The young chief stared at her in surprise. He had heard the commotion and found himself at a loss since it was usually very quiet at his mother's with the exception of Gobber or himself visiting her. "Oh…hey, hi, Mom. I…I just saw smoke from the chimney and thought I'd drop by to check on you. Uhm…" He glanced past his mother to Gobber who gave him a smile…but it was a nervous one, as if he wasn't at all comfortable with something. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, of course, darling. Why would anything be wrong?" Valka asked.

Hiccup's brows bunched. His mother never called him "darling". She had a hard enough time calling him "son" as if she still couldn't believe who he was. He glanced back toward Gobber and at first saw nothing out of the ordinary. Gobber often visited and made Valka breakfast and teased about her cooking but rather than two placements at the table there were three. Not just that but there was clothing on the back of a chair that was definitely not Gobber's or Valka's.

Hiccup's eyes widened in sudden realization and he gasped. "I…eh…I should let you be. Sorry for interrupting."

"Interrupting?" Valka asked in confusion but by then Hiccup had already hurried down the steps to join Eret down below. Confused she closed the door and glanced at Gobber since he knew her son better than her.

"He thinks you took a lover," he explained with a laugh. "The boy's much more perceptive than you two give him credit. He might be worn out but he can still tell when people are keeping secrets."

"But how?" she asked completely lost.

Stoick chuckled as he walked back into the room. "This may have given me away," he said as he grabbed his tunic. He shrugged it on. "You know if you gave me a minute to dress he wouldn't have ran off like that."

But the woman was completely at a loss, not used to dealing with people let alone having a son or how to properly handle such situations. She chewed her lower lip as she debated what to do – to chase after Hiccup or give him his space – and ended up letting Stoick guide her to the table where a hearty breakfast awaited her.

"Sit and eat with Gobber," he instructed as he rubbed her upper arms. "I'll have a talk with Hiccup."

"You're not going to tell him, are you?" Gobber demanded, ready to stop him.

Stoick rolled his eyes. "No, Gobber. I'm just going to make sure he's okay." Because Hiccup was definitely not okay. The one time Stoick had ever seriously considered finding the boy a new mother Hiccup had nearly gone insane and not talked to him for a whole week. He wasn't even six years old and had packed up all his belongings and moved into Gobber's and refused to return home until Stoick promised never ever to replace his mother even if he didn't know her. There were days when the boy wanted a mother so bad he would hide and watch his friends interact with their mothers but he always felt left out. Now he had his mother back but lost his father and must be feeling the same way yet again only this time not wanting his father to be replaced. Somehow Stoick had to fix this.

. . .

"What is it, mate?" Eret asked as Hiccup hurried past him, pale face and looking as if he might be sick. He reached for the young Viking but the boy slapped his hand away without so much as glancing at him. "Hiccup," the former trapper said more firmly and this time he forgot all niceties and grabbed his friend's arm. "What's wrong? Is your mother…"

"Not now, Eret," Hiccup snapped, yanking his arm free and hurrying toward his own hut. Half way there he stopped and took a deep shuddering breath, his knees suddenly wobbly and he was thankful when Eret grabbed him again. He gave a sniffle then covered his mouth, unsure if he was mad or upset and he suddenly wanted to breakdown, just forget it all and cry.

"Hiccup?" Snotlout called from across the plaza where he was talking with Gustav about defenses. He placed a hand on the teen's shoulder to silence him then hurried to his cousin.

Eret helped Hiccup to the ground before the young chief fell. "Easy, lad. Deep breaths. That's it. Put your head between your knees if you need to."

"What happened?" Snotlout demanded, not used to seeing Hiccup like this. Sure the kid had his bad days but usually he kept those locked up until he was somewhere private not in the middle of down, specifically town square. He knelt down and got right in front of his cousin as he would with any dragon as he had learned also worked best with Hiccup. He didn't touch the young man but waited until Hiccup was no longer breathing so heavily or gasping for breath no matter how softly. He waited until Hiccup finally looked up and met his eyes. For a moment Hiccup looked like the scrawny little runt he once was and back then Snotlout would have teased him for crying but it was different now. Hiccup looked broken.

"Hiccup…" Snotlout started, surprised by the look and really wishing Astrid was there to deal with the situation – he was not good at comforting people, least of all Hiccup whom he tormented as a child even if they were cousins and friends now. "What happened?"

Eret opened his mouth to say he had tried asking that but Hiccup finally answered.

"She forgot him," he whispered completely distraught. "She forgot him and found someone else."

"Who? What are you talking about?" Snotlout asked, desperate to know what had finally broke his cousin.

"Valka," Hiccup said, unable to say mom. "I was just there and there was someone else there, besides Gobber. She forgot all about my Dad and he…not once replaced her but she replaced him? I don't get it. I thought…"

"Oh mate, sometimes those things happen," Eret tried but he wasn't very helpful.

Hiccup pulled away and got wobbly to his feet. "No, they don't 'happen'. My Dad worshipped her and always talked about her and then they find each other again and it's like this great miracle. And then he gives his life to save mine and she forgets him!" He shook his head to fight back the tears. "I…I need to clear my head. I…I'll be back in a few hours." With that he hurried off, pushing past Stephan without so much as a "hi" as he searched for Toothless, intent on spending a least an hour flying and maybe visiting the cove.

Snotlout waited until Hiccup was out of earshot before standing and folding his arms across his chest. "Today. He's going on vacation today whether he likes it or not," he told Eret and Stephan as the later came to a stop near them. "Otherwise this little breakdown is going to turn into something far worse."

"Aye, and have you figured out exactly where the lad's going for this vacation? Can't have dragons or Toothless or he'll simply fly back and keep going."

Stephan was silent for a moment as he thought. Then it hit him. "I know a place."


	9. Chapter 9

Beyond Valhalla 9

Stephan explained his plan to Snotlout and Eret. It felt odd having to explain himself to the young man, after all Snotlout was Stoick's nephew and not always the brightest of young men so explaining himself should have been expected but it was the seriousness Snotlout took his words with that threw the former Berkian chief.

"I remember that place," Snotlout finally said, his demeanor thoughtful as he gazed out over the vast sea. "Hiccup's father used to take us there when we were little as a get away from the dragon war." He gave a chuckle. "Believe it or not but our mighty chief used to be terrified of dragons."

"And you never helped matters," Stoick reminded him before he could stop himself and remember that "Stephan" shouldn't know these things.

"Hey, I'm the elder cousin, it's my job to pick on him and toughen him up. And I did a pretty good job if I do say so myself."

Stephan rolled his eyes at the comment. "And Toothless had nothing to do with it."

"Nope! My idea to train dragons, too, in case he tried to tell you different."

"Sure."

But Snotlout didn't catch the sarcasm, his mind already moving back to ensuring Hiccup's vacation. "Okay, I'll have to check it out and make sure everything is in place. There's no way Hiccup's going to go on vacation willingly and will know something's up if he sees any supplies." He paused in thought. "I'll take Fishlegs with me and talk with Astrid. Maybe she can pack some of Hic's stuff…enough for a weak. Yeah, that's what I'll do. It'll have to be quick so he doesn't notice and small enough to shove in Hookfang's saddle bags…or we can split it out with Meatlug." He began walking away, still talking as if automatically expecting the others to follow. Then he paused and whirled around, his eyes wide as if just realizing something. "You two need to distract him. Challenge him to a race or break something he'll need to fix. Hell, raid the forge and play twenty questions about the new weapons he designed. The multi crossbow thingy is pretty cool and he'll be more than happy to talk about it…in massive detail."

"Oh not that again," Eret groaned. "I spent two hours with him as he tried to show me how it worked. The old farmer accidentally got shot in the rump by one of the darts."

"See? It was an awesome demonstration," Snotlout chirped. He gave Stephan a wink. "My idea, too."

"I bet," Stephan said with a nod before shaking his head as the Hooligan's second in command ran off. "Well, he hasn't changed."

Eret only chuckled. "Well I'm not sure how well you know him but he's certainly a character but he worries over Hiccup almost as much as Toothless. Hiccup's mental state is worrying everyone." He shrugged as they walked toward the forge.

"Even you?" Stephan questioned, glancing at the former Trapper. Hiccup had grown an uncanny ability of turning enemies into friends. There was usually some sort of struggle but he had turned both Alvin the Treacherous and Dagur the Deranged into two of Berk's closest allies and dearest friends.

"Yeah, the lad even managed to stick his claws into me." He smiled at Stephan. "Hiccup's an odd one, no? I guess the old saying of looks being deceiving is true. He doesn't look like much but he's something special. I hate to see him suffering. If this vacation goes as planned then the lad should be back to his old self in no time." A bright smile lit his face as his dragon lumbered toward them. "Skullcrusher!" he called in delight.

The large dragon gave him an affectionate nuzzle before his nostrils flared and he turned his attention to Stephan. Stoick took a deep breath. He had been avoiding his old dragon since arriving on Berk, not because he didn't want to see the Tracker but because he was afraid he would not want to give the dragon back to its new owner. Still when Skullcrusher's large head pressed into him he couldn't help but close his eyes and hug him as best he could. This, this was home to him. It was so weird. Once he had hunted and killed dragons yet in only five years he had come to love three; Toothless, Thornado and Skullcrusher, one as a child and two as partners.

"Hello, old friend," he whispered, running a hand across Skullcrusher's cheek.

"Huh…you seem to have an affinity for dragons," Eret observed. "Must run in the family."

Stoick grinned. "I guess it is."

. . .

Hiccup had no clue what was going on and neither Eret nor Stephan had to do much to distract him. There was always some crisis or another to draw his attention. In fact the only time he stopped was to check on Astrid when she was at market with Stormfly and Phlegma. That lasted only a few minutes but there was no doubt of the love he had for his wife. He talked to her softly, holding her hands and smiling softly if not tiredly, obviously happy for the few minutes they had together and deeply in love. His callused fingers would reverently brush over her round belly with wonder and awe as if still not used to his beloved being pregnant. Stephan couldn't bear to break the tender moment and watched silently as the two talked. Of course it couldn't last long.

"Hiccup!" one of the townsmen called and almost at once Hiccup was on his way to deal with another problem that no one else seemed capable of handling, but not before placing a kiss on Astrid's cheek and promising not to be too late that night…he hoped.

Stoick waited until his son was gone before strolling to his daughter-in-law. His breath hitched slightly as it always did when he saw the round belly she was sporting and thought of the child growing inside, his grandchild.

It was Astrid who managed to surprise him by turning around as if knowing he was there. "About time," she said, her arms folding under her breasts. "I thought you and Eret were supposed to keep him busy?"

Stoick was taken back and glanced in the direction Hiccup had gone. "Isn't he busy enough? I thought the point of this was to give him a vacation before he breaks."

She sighed and blew at a stray stain of hair. "It is but now he's stressing over his mom and some fellow she got with or something and thinks everyone is keeping it a secret from him. It's complete nonsense. Valka's a grown woman and if she chooses to find a new mate than that's her decision. It's not like she's Stoick and keeping a flame for a lost love or anything. For all we know she could have had many lovers in the twenty years she was missing."

"Many…what?" Stoick – Stephan asked, unable to even consider the idea as possible. Nonetheless his face visibly paled and he took a step back.

Astrid watched his reaction with interest but said nothing. "Hiccup's over reacting. His dad wasn't a saint either. It's life and he has to learn that not everything fits in his ideal world. Maybe after this vacation he'll get a little perspective and calm down. AND MAYBE WILL START LEARNING TO DO THINGS FOR THEMSELVES!" she yelled the end at a group of Vikings whom Hiccup had helped numerous times in the last few months rebuild not only homes but patched their roofs a good dozen times when their teens, all dragon riders, had accidently crashed into the roofs or falling through while trying to land. Technically it was Gustav's responsibility to watch over and monitor what the young riders did as the new head of the academy but since Hiccup appointed him as such and was now chief of the tribe he felt it his duty to deal with such things personally.

Surprisingly the men scurried off as if afraid of the young woman's anger.

Stephan watched them in surprise before looking to Astrid. "Yes, well Hiccup's always tried pleasing everyone. Sometimes he tries too hard."

"And gets hurt. That's the point. Whatever Snotlout and Fishlegs have planned they better hurry. It's already mid-afternoon and with Drago and his army still out there I don't like Hiccup and Toothless flying over sea at night."

"It might be safer. Toothless is a Nightfury," Stephan pointed out.

"Maybe, but the others aren't." She sighed and ran a hand threw her bangs. "All Hookfang has to do is light up or Barf and Belch play fight for the twins and Drago's men will be on them."

"Have a little faith."

An annoyed look filled her features. "It's happened eight times in the last year. They barely escaped with their lives and I refuse to lose anyone else." She looked away, a tiny tear shimmering in her lashes. "Look, just make sure everything's ready when the boys get back. Hiccup's going to put up and fight and you might be the only one strong enough to subdue him."

Stephan wasn't sure to take that as a compliment or insult. Astrid had never spoken to him like that before. The girl was always blunt and straight forward but never this commanding. But then again he was Stephan to her and not Stoick otherwise things would be much different. "I'll do my best," he assured, silently laughing at such an idea. He was pretty sure that Fishlegs could subdue Hiccup if he didn't fear possibly ending their friendship. Stoick had no such fear. Hiccup was his son and would always be his son no matter how angry the boy might get.

Astrid gave a curt nod before returning to her mother.

Stoick couldn't help but ponder her words. Could Valka have really taken another lover or lovers while she was away from Berk those twenty years? If she did he really couldn't fault her. He had taken a warm body or two to bed over the years but to think Valka may have done the same… He shook his head. No, that was not something to think of. He would trust and love his wife as he always had. Otherwise he might stress so much he'd be the one needing a vacation rather than Hiccup.

It was late afternoon by the time Snotlout and Fishlegs returned. Astrid was in a grumpier mood than before and rung the two out almost the moment they landed and all but gave the secret away when Hiccup happened within ear shot. Thinking something was wrong he hurried to his wife's side, not wanting to see her upset, especially while pregnant. Snotlout used it to his full advantage.

"Hiccup, Drago's been spotted on Green Haven. His army is rebuilding their ships and gathering new weapons," he said quickly, sounding panicked. "And they've got hundreds of new dragons. We can't stand against them and his Bewilderbeast."

"Wait…what?" Hiccup said in shock, stepping back. "How could they have gathered so many so soon?"

For a brief second Snotlout looked confused and glanced toward Fishlegs for guidance. Luck just happened to come in the form of Gustav who had come to see what was going on. "I…Gustav reported it to me and…"

The teen gaped at his mentor in confusion. "What?" He looked quickly to his chief and the growing number of riders gathering around them, most of which being the original six dragon riders. "I…uh?"

"Did you see Drago with a new dragon army?" Hiccup asked slowly knowing Snotlout often blamed the boy for things he himself had done."

Snotlout nodded above Hiccup's head, as did the other riders and Gustav immediately nodded as well. "Yeah…a huge army. More than last time. We just made it out of there by the skin of our teeth."

Hiccup narrowed his eyes in anger. "Bloody hell!" he cursed. He folded his arms across his chest and glanced at his feet while he thought. "We can't just attack without more input."

"Nope," Snotlout agreed.

"Maybe you should take a team and check it out while I finish here," Hiccup muttered, not sounding happy.

The riders looked at each other in concern. It wasn't like Hiccup to have them do surveillance without him.

"Ah…you know more about the Bewilderbeast than us," Fishlegs offered, usually the last to tell Hiccup a lie – he had been doing a lot of research at the Meathead library in hopes of finding a way to stop it without destroying it – but his worry over Hiccup forced him to follow the plan their friend had set in motion. "We need you."

Hiccup shook his head. "I have a bit of a situation here that I need to figure out."

Snotlout slapped his forehead. "Your mother's a grown woman, get over it and do your duty as chief." He waited for Hiccup to take that in and grinning at his cousin's startled reaction. "Now get you butt on Toothless and help us figure out how to deal with Drago before his army is on our doorsteps again."

Toothless pushed against Hiccup from behind in clear invitation for him to climb on. All the elder riders took to their dragons. Stephan stopped as he went to climb on Skullcrusher. Eret had climbed on to the dragon and that was where he now belonged but it felt so wrong. Skullcrusher belonged to Stoick and it should be he riding him. It was a fleeting thought as he remembered who he was now. Of course it helped – although felt even stranger – when Eret reached down and offered him a ride and it took all his patience not to make some snide comment as he grabbed the young man's hand and climbed up.

Hiccup was the last and it took a lot of prodding and pushing from both Toothless and Astrid to get him to take his rightful place of Toothless's saddle.

"Go on," Astrid said encouragingly. "It's probably nothing. You know how Gustav exaggerates."

Gustav's mouth fell open and he shook his head in disgust before taking Fanghook and flew off. "Whatever," he grumbled.

Hiccup watched him for a moment before glancing at his wife. "He's usually pretty accurate with his reports."

Astrid only shrugged and leaned up to give him a kiss, one that lasted much longer than usual and it left Hiccup a little breathless when she pulled away. "Be careful. I'll see you when you get home."

He nodded as he sat back. "Love you," he said gently, loud enough for only Astrid to hear.

She smiled gently up at him. "Love you, too," she returned just as softly, squeezing his hand before turning her attention to Toothless. "Keep him safe."

The Nightfury bobbed his head and as soon as she backed away to a safe distance he unfurled his wings, gave the other dragons a series of growls and warbles then took to the sky with them flanking him and Hiccup.

Astrid watched as they moved out over the sea without her and instinctive reached up to pet Stormfly. The blue dragon paced anxiously, wanting to join their friends. Astrid placed her face against the dragon's neck. "Go on," she whispered as she stepped back. "Have a little fun with them but don't let on that this is supposed to be Hiccup's vacation or we'll never hear the end of it."

Stormfly chirped and nuzzled her rider's shoulder before running toward the cliff and flying off. Astrid smiled as she watched the Deadly Nadder hurry after the others. Stormfly loved Hiccup and Toothless almost as much as she did and hated seeing the young chief in distress. With luck this vacation would help Hiccup relax even if only for a few weeks. And while Hiccup was gone it was time to set a bunch of tribesmen straight on just how much they could push on their young leader who was only a month away from being a father and taking on even more duties. She turned toward the Great Hall intent on doing just that when a cramp made her stop. She placed a hand on her belly, certain it was just the baby kicking and waited for it to pass.

"Okay, little one. Daddy won't be gone long. Now hush and stop all the fusing, you'll be with us soon," she soothed, feeling a little silly talking to her belly, but Hiccup did it all the time when they were home alone or in bed. She giggled softly and shook her head as the cramp went away. Maybe Hiccup was on to something.


	10. Chapter 10

Beyond Valhalla 10

There was nothing on or around Green Haven, not Drago's army and not a single dragon. Hiccup's eyes narrowed as the riders circled the small island for the third time. Nothing seemed even remotely out of the usual. Everything was exactly as Hiccup remembered it from the last time he visited the island almost three years again…when his father was still alive.

He bit his lower lip in sudden anguish. He didn't want to think about that right now. "Alright 'Lout, where are they?" he called, keeping his emotions hidden with a sense of annoyance.

Hookfang fly next to Toothless as Snotlout looked around. "There!"

Hiccup squinted in the direction his cousin pointed but only saw a single back speck. "Ah…where?"

Snotlout looked at him as if he was insane. "Right there."

"There's nothing there," the Hooligan chief insisted, becoming more and more annoyed and wanting to head home. He still had a load of work to finish, especially the crib and if Drago wasn't a present threat then he wasn't needed here.

"It's a camp!" Fishlegs chirped a little too cheerfully as he and Meatlug fly up to Hiccup's other side.

Snotlout shot him a look.

"Well maybe we ought to check it out," Eret called from behind making Hiccup glance back. Behind the former Trapper Stephan sat silently, his green eyes watching Hiccup intently. It was almost frightening how familiar that look was and the young chief found himself worrying his lower lip again and looking away.

"Yeah, I guess," he finally answered as he looked toward the rather tiny camp and…single tent? "Seriously? This is Gustav's raging army? Snotlout, what is going on?"

The group landed a few yards from the camp and it quickly became obvious that there was no one there and that no one had even used the site. Hiccup dismounted, his curiosity peaked by the strangeness of it all. The others followed suit but stayed a few paces behind, even Snotlout who was almost always trying to take the lead.

Hiccup placed a hand over the hilt of his fire sword, ready to draw it and ignite the blade should this be a trap. "Hello?" he called when he reached the tent. Drawing back the canvas drape he peered inside. It was a fair size tent, one often used by a chief but it was completely empty with only a fresh roll and backpack of supplies, none of which had been touched. "What the…?"

A growl and warble from Toothless made him look up. The dragons were backing away. "Toothless?" he asked, dropping the drape to attend his friend, worried that the dragons were sensing something that he couldn't. He raised a hand to the Nightfury but rather than affectionately rubbing his head against it Toothless bounce backward and got low to the ground as if to play but the other dragons shuffled further back. "What are you doing?" Hiccup questioned in surprise. "This isn't the time to play."

Toothless only laughed and wagged his tail, his wings tucked tight to his body. Hiccup raised a brow in question.

"Okay, does anyone want to tell me what's going on?" he asked, turning toward his friends. They were all keeping their distance, all looking a little guilty and excited. Hiccup stared at them with growing understanding. "No," he suddenly said, taking on a stern chieftain voice that never did suit him. "No…this isn't happening. I'm not taking a vacation. I've got duties…"

"That others can do," Stephan said, stepping toward him."

Hiccup ignored him and glared at Snotlout. "Drago is still a threat. We need to prepare for possible attacks."

"We're already prepared," Snotlout assured, trying to keep his cousin from freaking out…which looked as if it might happen any moment.

"The baby is due…"

"In a month. Hiccup, chill. Everything is already dealt with and anything that isn't won't take long to handle. Just take a few days, relax and have fun. I've got everything covered."

Hiccup only shook his head in denial and turned on his heel intent on getting Toothless and going home. His friends were insane if they thought he could simple go on vacation at a time like this. But Toothless only backed away and shook his massive head.

"Enough, Bud, we're going home," Hiccup all but ordered his best friend. "Toothless… Hey!"

"Listen to your friends, Hiccup," Stephan's gruff voice brushed against Hiccup's ear as his arms were yanked back and loosely tied behind him. It wasn't tight enough to hurt or loose enough for him to easily escape just enough to restrain him.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" Hiccup snapped, struggling to pull away only to have the large man sit him in front of the tent. "This is mutiny!"

"Well is that refreshing?" Stephan murmured with a tiny grin.

Hiccup's brows rose questioningly before lowering as he remembered what this man had just done. He glowered at Stephan as the man took his sword and stepped back. "So I'm to go on vacation, tied up and weaponless? Brilliant! If you're going to kill me you might as well get it over with now. Snotlout's been itching to be chief."

"Hey!" Snotlout yelled. "I'm not that desperate for attention."

Hiccup only glared at him.

"Every chief needs a break from time to time," Stephan offered with a fatherly smile that once again took Hiccup back. He opened his mouth as if to say something else but looked away and sighed softly. "This is what's best for you."

"How in the world would you know what's best for me?" Hiccup challenged.

Again Stephan went to answer but again he didn't. He gave Hiccup and his surroundings a once over before activating the fire sword.

Hiccup inhaled sharply and moved his long legs as the large man impaled the ground with the long blade. The fire weaved around the blade, glowing brightly in the fading light. He glanced up at Stephan in confusion but the man was already walking away…toward Toothless who seemed to be waiting for him. He shook his head in confusion. "Toothless? Wait! You're taking Toothless?"

"It wouldn't be a vacation if you can simply fly back to Berk the moment we turn our backs," Ruffnut explained as if Hiccup had just asked the most foolish question imaginable. Her grin only grew as she watched Stephan mount Toothless, her head tilting as she took a good look at his back side.

Snotlout frowned at her before returning his focus to his younger cousin. "It's only for a few days. It'll give you both a much needed break from each other." He reached into his saddle bag and pulled out a tiny green Terrible Terror. "And if you get into trouble Sharpshot can come get us." The little dragon flew to Hiccup and gave his cheek an affectionate lick before clambering onto his shoulder. "You know you really should rebuild the automatic tailfin that Toothless could control by himself again. Then this would be so much easier."

"I'll take it under advisement," Hiccup grumbled, trying to convince Sharpshot to chew threw the ropes for him.

Snotlout shrugged. "Have fun."

Hiccup glared at him.

"Don't do anything I would do," Tuffnut called as Barf and Belch took to the sky.

"It's 'don't do anything I wouldn't do' dumbass," Ruffnut corrected as she rolled her eyes at his stupidity.

"So you want him to cause chaos?" he retorted.

"Hiccup doesn't know how to cause chaos," she pointed out as they flew away.

Fishlegs gave a small wave as he and Meatlug hovered not far from Hiccup. "Don't be too mad. We're just thinking of your mental and physical health," he said gently. "We all love you, even those fools." He jerked a thumb at the twins.

Eret gave a nod. "Sometimes a break away is just what the doctor ordered."

"I sure did!" Tuffnut yelled down.

"In training. You're a doctor in training," Ruffnut argued again, reaching over and smacking him over the head.

That brought a little smirk to Hiccup's lips.

Eret shook his head, gave Hiccup a grin, and then followed them.

Stephan didn't say anything. He watched Hiccup for a moment, looking as if he wanted to say something important before simply nodding and nudging Toothless. Of course Toothless wasn't one to take commands very well no matter how much he liked someone and lumbered over to Hiccup to give him a kiss goodbye. His big tongue went across Hiccup's cheek and he gave a little nuzzle.

"Traitor," Hiccup grumbled, trying to stay mad at the Nightfury but it was a little hard when Toothless gave him big pouty eyes and a head bunt.

"We'll be back in a few days," Stephan promised.

Hiccup ignored him and pressed his head to Toothless's. "Take care of Astrid for me, bud. And don't go crazy on the dragon nip." To his surprise a large hand fell on the top of his head. He looked up in surprise to meet Stephan's gaze straight on and it was like staring into his father's eyes. Tears burned at the back of his eyes and he yanked away, disrupting Sharpshot's perch and spooking Toothless. "You better take good care of him," he said but there was no heat in his voice just resignation. They were going to force him to take this vacation whether he wanted it or not.

"I will," Stephan promised.

Toothless gave Hiccup one last lick before reluctantly flying off.

Snotlout was the last to leave. He rubbed his arm nervously, feeling a little out of sorts. This had been planned for months and now that it was happening he was a little nervous taking complete command of their people while Hiccup was gone. Last time Astrid had helped him but she was heavy with child now and would not be able to race about helping him like before. The twins were useless in a command situation and as smart as Fishlegs was he was too soft spoken and fidgety to be of much help. Eret was still new and while he was a captain most of the Berkians still didn't trust him, especially Valka. And Stephan…he didn't know Stephan regardless if they were cousins.

"I…" he began, faltering as he tried to explain himself. "You need this."

Hiccup only glared at him.

"I'm serious, Hic. You're about to break. Astrid's worried. Dad keeps freaking. Even Mildew is noticing how exhausted you are. Mildew! It was this or have Alvin kidnap you again. Odin knows you'd never get any rest if Dagur did it."

Yeah, Dagur's version of a vacation was hunting. If not dragon – due to new peace treaties with Berk – then boar which meant a lot of running around and howling at the moon and whatever other craziness the Berserker chief could come up with while Hiccup was in his custody.

Hiccup looked away.

"Don't be mad."

The young chief sighed. "Berk better be standing when I get back."

"It will…I'll see you in a few days."

The flapping of wings alerted Hiccup to his cousin's departure. He waited another minute or two before rolling onto his back and wiggling his arms under his legs and to the front. From there he was able to burn the ropes and free his arms. It was as if Stephan knew exactly how to tie the ropes so he could get free without too much of a fight. There was something strange about Stephan…something so familiar it was scary. He rubbed his arms and stared after the retreating dragons, just barely able to make out Toothless and Stephan. For whatever reason Toothless knew the strange Viking in a way he only knew family. It was almost like the way he warmed up to Valka in such a short time but this was quicker.

Hiccup sighed and looked around the camp his friends had gone out of the way to make him. They really were intent on him getting away from Berk for a while and they couldn't have picked a worse place. Green Haven was full of nothing but his happiest memories of his father and he wasn't ready to go down memory lane just yet. Yet there he stood, right smack middle in their old campsite. Perfect.


	11. Chapter 11

Beyond Valhalla 11

For the first while all Hiccup could do was stare off after his friends angrily, unable to believe they had betrayed him. Okay, so it was in the name of a "much needed vacation" as everyone had been encouraging him to take the last few months but it still felt like a betrayal since it was forced upon him. It hurt a little that they didn't trust him enough to take care of himself, after all he was handling his duties fairly well and preparing for his and Astrid's first child. Sure he was a little exhausted at times and grumpy but he hadn't even been chief a year yet and spent most of his time rebuilding the village and preparing for battle and a new born child and dealing with complaints and…okay, maybe his friends had a point.

What hurt most was Toothless leaving him as he had. Of everyone he trusted the Nightfury the most. They were best friends, brothers even. Ever since he shot down the dragon almost six years ago and began their, at first, shaky friendship they had been tied at the hip. They rarely left one another's side for more than a few hours. Toothless had helped Hiccup heal after losing his leg just as Hiccup had helped Toothless fly after losing half his tailfin. Hell, Toothless almost always slept in his room, even after he married Astrid – and boy was that awkward when they tried to be intimate. And there were many nights Hiccup would – especially when nightmares plagued him – climb into Toothless's nest and snuggled against him as the dragon groomed and nuzzled him back to sleep. Toothless was the brother Hiccup had always longed for, the person he could talk to and confide in, that he could soar through the sky and explore with. He was his best friend. It hurt to see him go so willingly with someone else as if his mind was being controlled by the Bewilderbeast again.

That thought made his draw a harsh breath. His chest tightened in momentary fear that maybe, just maybe that had happened again but it didn't explain his friends. Of course there was Stephan. The guy simply didn't fit in. Okay, maybe he fit in just a little too well. It was as if he had always been part of the group. Well, maybe not but the other accepted him much faster than just about anyone else. They seemed to listen to him and pay him a lot of respect even if only subconsciously. None of them would have ever allowed a stranger to manhandle him the way Stephan had let alone tie him up, least of all Toothless. But Toothless acted weird around the man, rubbing against him, cooing happily, almost begging to be pet and giving puppy eyes as if he were guilty of something. It was almost the same way he acted after Stoick died and was trying to gain Hiccup's forgiveness even weeks after the incident. What could Toothless have possibly done to Stephan to make him want the man's forgiveness so bad and willingly leave with him?

There were far too many questions running through Hiccup's mind and he finally gave a cry of anguish so loud he was almost surprised that Toothless didn't return to him. Defeated, he flopped back on the cold soil and stared up at the darkening sky.

Stephan…

He knew him, he knew he did. The way he spoke, his mannerism, even the way he smiled. They were all familiar. So very, very familiar yet he still couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe his mother was right and Stephan did look a lot like Dad. Perhaps that was what was bothering him.

Closing his eyes, Hiccup sighed. He missed his Dad, more than he wanted to admit. He missed the way he smiled and laughed at the oddest times, how things like light wood would excite him, the way he would brighten up at the thought of a dragon race and war paint, of the way he would lecture him about what it took to be a great leader no matter how boring the subject was, or how he would sometimes play fight with Toothless and joke that he had two sons ever since the Nightfury came into their lives and then Toothless…

Tears prickled Hiccup's eyes as he remembered his father's death and how Toothless – under the control of the Alpha – had taken part in it. He wiped at his eyes. "Not his fault," he murmured as he did whenever he thought back to that awful day. "Dad wouldn't hold it against him. He loved Toothless," he reminded him, knowing in his heart that Stoick did indeed love Toothless almost as much as he did. He had even reached out to the dragon as he pushed Hiccup to safety as if to calm him. That was the last thing Hiccup saw before…

"No! No…please…let me forget! Just once let me forget!" He cried out to the night sky, praying that the memories would finally go away. That was why he buried himself in his work. That was why he refused a vacation. He wanted to forget. Not his Dad or Toothless just what happened. He wanted to remember his Dad as a hero who died in the battle against Drago not saving him from his best friend…his brother.

The tears came in a steady stream now and he couldn't stop them but for once he didn't try. There was no one there to see him break down, not Toothless who would feel guilty and hide in a corner to avoid hurting him more, or his mother who would watch awkwardly, not sure if it was okay to hug him or not, or Astrid who would try to kiss his tears away, or Gobber who was the closest thing Hiccup had to his father and would hold him tight when they were alone and try to assure him that everything would be okay and that Stoick and Spitelout had gone through this when their father died. But the thing was things were different when Hiccup's grandfather died. Yes he died by dragon but that was back when Vikings were still had war with dragons and death by dragon was natural. Now days…now days it wasn't, at least not on Berk.

Was it a mistake ending that war? Was it a mistake sparing Toothless and befriending him? Would his Dad still be alive today if he hadn't? Would he?

Somehow Hiccup doubted it. Drago would still be a threat and maybe more so without the Berkian dragons to defend them. And he would never have found his mother no matter how awkward that was.

Wiping at his tears, Hiccup sniffled. It had grown dark with the only light coming from his fire sword but even that was waning, the dragon saliva burning away from the intense heat. He would have to change the cartridge soon. That meant he could just lie there and mope. He was exiled on this island and he had to prepare for the night to come. Green Haven may not have dragons but that didn't mean it was barren, there were still wolves and boars…although he didn't recall them in this particular area but that may have been because his Dad used to scare the daylights out of them. A small chuckle escaped him as he remembered the way his father would set up torches around the camp, sometimes waving them about and yelling into the darkness first all heroic and spooky like as if trying to scare Hiccup even just a little before bed. He was good at that.

Regardless if it was a hoax or not, Hiccup finally got off the ground, dusted himself off and took up his sword. Inferno's hilt was hot to the touch but not enough to burn just yet as it did when activated for far too long. He looked over the camp, surprised to see just how out of the way his friends had gone. There was a stack of firewood, more than enough to do him a week or two depending on the weather. Poles had already been stuck in the ground with oiled rags wrapped around the tops to light at night should he need them much as he father would do when they camped. Hiccup only light two out of the six, not really sure if they were needed. In the tent he found his ransack filled with extra clothing, his favorite fur vest, sketch book and charcoals as well as an extra knife to sharpen them with. Astrid's doing, he was sure. In the other was filled with food, some fresh like apples, onions, carrots and…ew…cabbage – he had a little too much of that lately thanks to his mother's cooking experiments – and a whole lot of dried jerky; fish, pork and yak, but wrapped amongst all that was a warm mutton, made only that morning and carefully wrapped in layers of fabric to keep warm. There was a small note attached that gave Hiccup pause and sit back with interest. Last time he was forced on vacation there were no letters. He pretty much slept the majority of the time he was Alvin's "guest".

Opening the letter he read Snotlout's messy script with a mix of confusion of growing awe and the lengths his friends went to ensure he had a good vacation.

"Okay Dragon Boy,

Time for a little R & R and since I know you're worse than the twins at staying still we'll make this into a game. The gang and I are having a little competition…or bet on whether or not you'll lose your marbles while you're gone and since we kind of need you in one piece when you get back – physically and mentally – this might help. Okay, so here's the thing. I made you dinner, lucky you, but you'll have to catch your food tomorrow…yeah, good luck with that. Anyway, tomorrow I want you to go to the lake. You know the one, where our Dads taught us to swim, or me swim, you…eh…not drown? Whatever. Go there. There's another letter waiting for you with a riddle. You're smart, you'll figure it out. There are a few out there. If you figure them all out you win a prize. Trust me you want this. It's something of your Dad's that he apparently wanted you to have but didn't have a chance to give you. It's cool, I promise you.

Try to have a little fun, Hiccup. We'll come get you in a few days.

I'm chief while you're gone!

Snotlout"

At first Hiccup could only stare at the letter. Then he blinked and read it again. Then one last time. What could his father have left him? Everything he owned was at the old hut or the Great Hall and moved to the new hut. Whatever the case his curiosity was growing and he shook his head with a small laugh. "Alright…I guess it's better than sitting around and doing nothing the next few days," he said to himself, not used to being completely alone anymore. A few years ago that wouldn't bother him but now…now it did. He raked a hand through his hair. A few by himself? He could handle that…he was sure he could. He did it most of his life before Toothless came along, he could do it now. Maybe.

Deciding to hold off on the mutton to morning, Hiccup curled up on the makeshift bed and pulled the blanket over him. He was still hurt and confused by his friends' actions but now that the anger and rage had subsided he felt very tired, his whole body worn and sore and he couldn't remember the last time he felt like just falling asleep and not waking up. He gave a little start when Sharpshot climbed under the blanket next to him and curled against his belly, nice a warm like a little hot water bottle. Hiccup placed a hand on his little head and stroked it gently.

"I still have you, huh?" he whispered before closing his eyes and dozing off. He didn't bother taking off his armor or his prosthetic that night, and he would suffer for it in the morning but at that moment he was too tired to care, at least for a few hours. He slept and he would continue to sleep until late the next morning.


	12. Chapter 12

Beyond Valhalla 12

It was late when the riders touched down on Berk. The usually lively group was oddly silent; each wondering if what they had done to their friend was right or not. They all knew Hiccup needed a break away and that the only way to accomplish that was by abandoning him on an island with no way off but it was the first time ever Hiccup was completely alone and while he had become a capable swordsmen and warrior he was not a fighter by nature and if something were to happen…

Snotlout shook his head, trying his best to banish the worries that nagged at the back of his mind since leaving his cousin behind. Hiccup would be okay. He was always okay no matter how much trouble he got himself into. At least usually. He worried his lower lip, glancing back in the direction they had come worried. He and Fishlegs had done everything they possible could to ensure Hiccup's safety and, hopefully, enjoyment. He hated the way he worried over the younger man. But he did. He had watched Hiccup grow from a scrawny annoying brat to a really good, overworked chief with the most beautiful shield maiden in whole village as his bride. Okay, so he may have once felt a little jealousy over how someone like Hiccup could accomplish all that but he was over that now. He was Hiccup's second and that meant it was his job to protect his chief and assure his wellbeing even if Hiccup fought to pretend he was alright. Plain and simple. So why did he feel so guilty and worried?

"Good job, Toothless!" Stephan's voice boomed as the large red haired man jumped down from the dragon's back, startling the riders. Stephan immediately moved to stand before the Nightfury and stroked his head affectionately and surprising Toothless pushed into his large hands just as he would with Hiccup. "Ah…the lad had no clue what we were up to, hey? And here I feared you might crack and stay with him. That's my good boy!"

Everyone stared at the man in shock.

"Did Toothless have a rider before Hiccup?" Tuffnut whispered to his sister as they watched from atop Barf and Belch.

For once she didn't have a snide remark and only shrugged, also taken back by the strange conversation Stephan seemed to be having with Toothless. She looked over her brother's head to Snotlout by the acting chief was just as confused.

"So you and Toothless know each other well?" Eret finally asked, being the only one to find his voice. He didn't know Toothless or Hiccup as well as the others so seeing the way Stephan interacted with the dragon didn't seem to concerning.

Stephan chuckled. "Aye. He's my good boy." He pressed his head to Toothless's and closed his eyes for a moment. "Let's go see Val," he suggested and the dragon bounced happily before running after the Viking.

The riders stared after them in complete confusion. "Okay…" Tuffnut begun, looking a little pale. "Am I the only one that just saw a really weird mix of Hiccup and Stoick?"

"No, you idiot, we just saw Stephan acting like a really weird bigger version of Hiccup," Ruffnut countered, punching him in the arm.

Fishlegs only shook his head. "It's been a weird night," he grumbled, deciding to ignore the weirdness as something that could only be explained as a cousin thing since Snotlout was also weird. "I'm heading to the Mead Hall if anyone wants to join me for a drink."

"I'm in!" Tuffnut chirped, forgetting all about Stephan and Toothless.

"Maybe later," Ruffnut threw in as she climbed off Barf. She walked in silence, deep in her own thoughts.

Snotlout spared her a quick glance but his focus quickly returned to Stephan and Toothless as they mounted the hill near Valka's hut and where Cloudjumper was perched. Surprisingly Gobber and Spitelout were also outside the house with Valka. Gobber and Spitelout didn't hang out often but it seemed that they had become closer since the loss of Stoick, as if attempting to mend the emptiness they both felt at the loss of their friend and brother. Perhaps Stephan felt close to them too.

Whatever the case, Snotlout had other things to do. He gave Hookfang a playful punch to the chops, making his dragon nip at his shoulder and steal his helmet. He chuckled and stole it back, plopping the saliva cover helmet back on his head. "Bad dragon," he taunted then headed toward the Haddock residence where a fire still burned brightly meaning Astrid was awake and waiting for his report.

He rapped on the door once before pushing it open and peeking inside. When no axe came flying at his head he stepped inside. Astrid was sitting in a rocking chair Gobber had built for her, rocking slowly as she sewed what looked to be a small blanket, no doubt for the little bundle of joy growing in her round belly. She looked up when she heard the door shut and gave him a rare smile.

"Hey…how'd it go?" she asked, looking exhausted.

He shrugged as he strolled toward her. "Ah…you know Hiccup, plays a big game but in a fight he folds."

"Meaning you did need Stephan to subdue him," she laughed, putting her sewing aside.

He shrugged again and sat across from her in what was normally Hiccup's seat. "Maybe you should have gone on vacation, too. You look beat."

"I'm fine. I've just had a few cramps."

His blue eyes regarded her for several long minutes. "You know you and Hiccup never had a proper honeymoon. Not with Drago and all the craziness. I can always fly you over there and…"

She raised a hand and for once he stopped talking, noting the dark bags under her eyes. "I'm on the 'no fly' list until after the baby is born. If you think Hiccup is a mess now then imagine how he will be if he saw me flying? I'll be fine. It's only another month."

"Yeah, I guess." But he didn't like the way she looked. "Is he kicking a lot?"

It was her turn to shrug. "Not as much today. I guess he's sleeping."

That tinge of worry came back and Snotlout rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh…okay. Do you…do you need anything? I can get you some food or eh…firewood. Anything. I'll get it for you."

Astrid chuckled. "Stephan loaded me up with firewood before you guys left and Gobber already made me dinner but thank you."

Now he felt a little out of place and very confused. "Stephan's making himself at home here, huh?"

She gave a nod and started sewing again. "That's for sure."

"Gobber and Dad seem to dote on him and they never dote on anyone. Okay, Gobber dotes on Hiccup but that's different, he's like the guy's second Dad or something. I mean he's been doing it since the day Hiccup was born. Always watching out for him whenever his dad wasn't around. He never looked at anyone else the way he doesn't Hiccup."

"Jealous?"

"No…maybe…shut up, I'm talking."

She laughed at him but said nothing more.

"Okay, my point is that since Stephan showed up Gobber's been acting all funny and Dad's been weirder than normal and now everyone is hanging out at Valka's and she's not the hostess type. She's more the rip people's heads off and ask questions later type."

Astrid nodded in understanding. "Things have been weird since Stephan showed up," she agreed, shifting in her seat to looking at him properly. Her voice got low as she spoke. "Valka's been all cheery and almost bouncy today. She even went to the market and you know she never does that unless Hiccup's with her…sometimes Gobber. But she went to buy stuff for dinner tonight."

"Odin help her poor victim," Snotlout gasped in fear, remembering the first and only time he ate her cooking.

Astrid giggled. "Not just that but she was humming that song Hiccup likes so much…the one from our wedding…Dancing and Dreaming? She's definitely not the same. Gobber keeps grumbling under his breath about Stephan and trying to chase him down every few minutes. And your dad is laughing more than I've ever seen him. I was starting to think he lost his mind."

"What if he has?"

They stared at each other for a moment at the very real possibility considering all that had happened in less than a year. Then they both laughed nervously.

"So does Hiccup have everything he needs?" Astrid asked after a moment.

"More than enough," he assured, patting her hand. "And Sharpshot is with him in case he needs us. I'm a little surprise the dragon didn't follow us home with a letter from Hic telling us just what he thought of us."

"He'll calm down and see the upside of this vacation."

"I hope so." He hesitated a moment, hand over hers. He gave it a squeeze then stepped back. "Well I've got things to do so eh…if you need me just send a Terrible Terror."

Astrid gave a nod. "Snotlout?" she called as he opened the door. "Thank you. Hiccup might not say it but we both appreciate this."

He looked away, seemingly lost for words, then turned back around and nodded. "Yeah. No problem. I'm here if you need me." With that he hurried out, pausing only long enough to secure the door for her and then headed to the Mead Hall to meet up with the guys. He needed a good hard drink.

. . . . .

"How did it go?" Valka asked as Stoick hurried up to her. But rather than answering he scooped her up and twirled her around as if she were still a young girl. It made her laugh and she placed her hands on his large shoulders. "Stoick!" she cried, a little dizzy when he put her down.

"Oh, Val, that boy is stubborn but we did it!" he bombed, laughing as he held her. "It took a little convincing but he's finally taking a well-deserved vacation."

"About time, too," Gobber grumbled before smacking Stoick across the shoulder as his friend bent his head to his Valka. "Ahem…we're outside and while there aren't many people here someone could see the two of you." He abolished his friend but Stoick only had eyes for his wife and didn't seem to care.

Spitelout rolled his eyes but didn't seem as bothered. "And we're now the talk of the night. Or Valka will be…entertaining three men all at once, one being fifteen years her junior."

"You two could go away," Valka chastised, giggling when Stoick playfully nipped her neck. "Alright…alright…stop that, you." She gave him a little shove and stepped away when his hands fell from her shoulders. "So Hiccup agreed to the vacation?"

"Oh yeah, about as well as Stoick did when we maroon him on Green Haven some twenty or so years ago," Gobber said bring a smirk to Spitelout's face.

"Of course it took ten men to throw him overboard with a waterproof load of supplies," Spitelout jested, duking when his brother went to swat him.

"Ah those were the days," Gobber agreed as he started heading down the hill. He gave Stoick and Valka a wave. "You two behave…or whatever you're going to do. Hiccup's only gone a few days and the last thing he needs for a shocker is to learn he ought to be expecting a baby brother or sister."

"Gobber!" Stoick yelled after him, startling a few villagers wandering below and making them look up believing they had heard the ghost of their leader. The former chief stepped back and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. After a moment they continued on their way, sure they had been hearing things.

All but one, who watched with curiosity from the shadows.

Valka placed a hand on Stoick's bicep. "Things haven't changed between the two. Gobber's always going to be your best friend and biggest torment." Her other hand cupped his cheek as her smile brightened.

"Yes, he loves to remind me he used to be my babysitter and protect me and Spitelout when we were children."

"Kind of like a big brother? If I remember you use to torment Spitelout."

"Thank you," Spitelout said, appreciating someone finally realizing Stoick wasn't exactly a saint.

"Go away," Stoick growled, glaring at his younger brother.

The younger brother – or rather older at this moment – only laughed as he turned away. "See…he's all yours, Valka. You might want to start keeping him on a short leash before he forgets he's a young man and not a teen."

She shrugged. "Well you know what they say about young men and older women…"

"And I'm out of here," Spitelout said, hurrying his pace as his brother and sister-in-law laughed softly. These two were worse than Hiccup and Astrid on their wedding day. Of course back when Stoick was first courting Valka he was nearly just as bad but Valka was very young and a nervous little thing not used to such attention. Now she seemed to crave it, at least from Stoick now that she knew the truth about who she was, otherwise she would kept her distance from just about everyone. Ah…but it was good to see them both happy, a little creepy but good nonetheless.

"How was he?" Valka asked again, her voice a little softer as she took his hand and pulled him into her hut after her. "He wasn't too mad was he?" She made a gesture for Toothless to follow them then to a big basket a fish all for the Nightfury curtesy of Cloudjumper. Toothless eagerly dug in.

"Ah you know Hiccup…" He paused, realizing a little too late that she really didn't. "He's a good boy, Val. The best any father could hope for. I'll admit I feared this all might be too much for him. That's why I was hoping to be here for him. The plan was to retire but be here to guide him and help when needed. I never planned to just abandon him."

She frowned and rubbed her arms. "Something never go as plan," she said softly, remembering her plans to raise their son not be taken away by Cloudjumper and spending her life learning about and protecting dragons.

"Aye, but I never expect he would push himself like this. Oh, Val, you should have seen him. He looks so beat, almost defeated. He doesn't look like my Hiccup. He needs this."

"So he didn't fight this time?"

"Well…"

"Oh, Stoick…" she chastised. "What did you do?"

If anyone could make Stoick rethink his actions Valka could and she made him sit down and tell her everything. They sat together as they did ages ago and talked into the wee hours of the night. He told her everything, about where Hiccup was and how he had tied the boy's wrists to keep him from escaping but left enough room for him to wiggle them to his front and break free. He knew Hiccup. His son may not be a buff Viking like his ancestors but he was lithe and wily and knew how to use that to the best of its advantage. Hiccup was far stronger than he appeared as Stoick had learned over the years.

"And the best thing is Astrid decided to make it a treasure hunt," he concluded. "Snotlout's trying to take credit for it but I spoke with the girl and it's just the time of thing to occupy Hiccup's mind. He'll be so busy trying to find the treasure that he won't be worrying about Berk or even Toothless."

Said dragon gave a distraught whine.

"Oh you know you're going to be spoiled while he's gone," Stoick reprimanded, giving the dragon a pointed look.

Moping, Toothless curled up in the corner and gave him his most pathetic look, wanting to bring Hiccup home already.

Valka scratched behind his ear. "It's okay, Toothless, Hiccup will be home son."

. . .

The Mead Hall wasn't the coziest of places but the mead was fresh and plentiful and it was a good place to simply sit back and forget the day. Normally Snotlout only stayed for a drink or two before dealing with other more personal issues but that night he decided to spend some quality time with two of his friends. He rarely spent time with Tuffnut and Fishlegs, at least not lately. Back in the day Tuffnut used to follow him around like a puppy, his twin sister often in tow. And Fishlegs…well, they were never close. Fishlegs was more Hiccup's friend than his but from time to time like tonight he made good company.

"You think we did the right thing?" Fishlegs asked as he stared into his mead, a solemn look of his face.

"I don't know," Snotlout answered honestly, frowning softly at his own drink.

Tuffnut was a little more upbeat. "Come on, this is Hiccup. He'll be fine. It's not as if he's never been alone before."

"That was years ago," Fishlegs grumbled, not happy. "And he wasn't under this kind of stress."

Snotlout nodded. When Hiccup was young, before Toothless, Hiccup was often alone but he was never under the type of stress he was since becoming chief. "Last time we had Alvin watching over him, too. Maybe we should assign something to the island to watch over him."

"Maybe," Fishlegs agreed. He glanced up. "But we can we send that won't automatically do as their commanded? Everyone here adores him and does as he says."

"An Outcast?" Snotlout wondered.

"No…most of them tend to listen to him now, too."

"Beresker?" Tuffnut threw in.

The other two men stared at him in horror. "Dagur won't let anyone but himself watch over Hiccup and that won't go anywhere near relaxing for Hic."

"Bog-Burglar?"

"Camicazi."

"The Visithugs?"

Snotlout hung his thumb upside-down and made a raspberry sound.

"Then what?" Fishlegs demanded, out of ideas.

"Just let the boy be," a wheezy old voice grumbled, the clank of a staff startling the three as Mildew slid into a sit next to Fishlegs. The large Viking shuffled a little closer to Snotlout who did the same to Tuffnut who sadly fell off the bench with a curse. Mildew didn't even spare him a glance.

Mumbling under his breath Tuffnut moved to sit on the other side as did Snotlout. Fishlegs opened his mouth to object then quickly closed it and frowned at the two before landing a kick to Snotlout shin as the older man sat across from him, his only solstice coming from Snotlout's yelp.

"What do you want, Mildew?" Snotlout demanded after glaring at Fishlegs.

The old farmer nursed his drink silently for several long minutes, making the three stare at him with growing confusion and annoyance.

"Mildew?" Fishlegs asked nervously.

"Let the boy be," Mildew repeated, finally looking up.

"Okay…why?" questioned Tuffnut, glancing at Snotlout.

Mildew gave a snort. "Because judging from what I've seen today he's going to have more problems when he gets back then before he left."

"Meaning?" Snotlout pressed.

Age pale blue eyes looked up, meaning sapphire. "Meaning the rumors circulating about his mother today are true."

"What rumors?" Fishlegs asked, slightly out of the loop dealing with his own duties.

"It's nothing," Snotlout objected, defending his aunt. "Hiccup thinks Valka was with someone last night and some of the villagers witnessed his breakdown. It's nothing. Hic was overreacting."

Mildew laughed. "He wasn't overreacting, boys. Hiccup was right. His mother has taken someone to her bed and no one of you will believe who."

"Who?" they all demanded, leaning forward.

Mildew's grin widened and he leaned forward as well. "That new lad, Stephan is it? He's at her hut right now and they were looking rather cozy."

Snotlout shook his head in disbelief. "He's her nephew as well. He's just being friendly."

The old man shrugged and down his drink. "Take it or leave it but I'd let Hiccup be. If I'm right, which I know I am, he's coming home to a whole beehive of problems. And to think he has a baby on the way."

They watched as he hobbled away, each lost in their own thoughts and each wondering if maybe, just maybe, Mildew was actually telling the truth.

"Maybe we should have the Outcasts take him back," Fishlegs suggested, wanting Mildew off the island again.

"Yeah," Tuffnut agreed. "Far, far away."

Snotlout only watched the man in confusion. He didn't want to believe Valka would get together with anyone other than her husband but Stoick was gone and she was alone. It wasn't so far fetch that she'd find another lover he just couldn't imagine her and Stephan together. His shoulders slumped. Mildew was right; Hiccup was going to freak when he found out.

. . .

Far out over the Eastern sea, hundreds of miles from Berk, Drago's armada slowly made its way back toward the Archipelago. The fleet was not quite as vast as it was when it first entered Viking waters a few years ago. Drago stood at the bow of his flag ship, looking out over the icy waters. It was time…time to finally conquer Berk and take down their chief. But first they would need to find a new base of operations and he knew of a little island that would be perfect for that.


	13. Chapter 13

Beyond Valhalla 13

It wasn't often that Hiccup slept without dreaming but that first night alone and with no responsibilities there were no dreams and strangely no nightmares. It was as if all the stress, all the anger and fear he had felt since his father's death had finally exhausted him mentally and physically until he simply slept. Sadly it didn't last. Months of conditioning himself to wake early to tend to his people had Hiccup waking just before dawn and it took climbing out of his tent and walking about the little camp for him to remember where he was and why. He sat before the cooling embers from the fire the night before and stared at them for a long time, feeling lonely and uncomfortable, his armor having dug into his flesh and leaving him tender along his neck and shoulder. If that wasn't enough his bad leg was aching where his prosthetic had pinched during his sleep. Removing the contraption he rubbed absently at his stump.

For the first time in a very long time he was at a loss as to what to do. He was on an island all alone with nothing to do, no one to take care of and no Toothless to explore with. Hugging himself he stared out over the dark landscape. This sort of reminded him of the last time he was camping here and he woke up so early in the morning.

"Hey Dad," he a murmured nearly two years ago, pushing back the canvas as he stepped out of his tent. He smiled softly when he noticed Toothless curled up next to his father as Stoick hummed soft and widdled away at dome wood.

Stoick the Vast glanced away from his project to greet his son. "Morning, son. Sleep well?"

That was the thing. Hiccup rarely slept well and would usually do everything he could to exhaust himself just to get a full night's sleep without nightmares. After the whole thing with the Outcasts and Berserkers he'd begun sleeping a bit better but it wasn't under dragon racing that Hiccup truly relaxed and began sleeping properly but he still had his bad nights. This just happened to be one of them.

Of course Hiccup usually kept his problems to himself. "Yeah, it was fine."

Stoick hummed softly to himself but he gave Hiccup a knowing look as he continued cutting into the wood.

It was the dragging silence that made Hiccup speak up. It was funny how that always worked with him. Stoick never had to say a thing to Hiccup to speak a thousand words to him. "Alright! I just…I was thinking about Dagur and Alvin and you being kidnapped and I just had this horrible feeling of what could've happened if we didn't get to you in time. If I had lost you." He folded his hand and leaned his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward. "It's just a stupid nightmare."

"You know my father used to say that nightmares show us our deepest fears," Stoick hummed as he turned the wood in his hand.

"Yeah," Hiccup agreed not looking up.

"You're afraid to be chief."

Hiccup gave a laugh. "Well yeah but that's not my biggest fear."

His father nodded. "I've had many bad dreams, myself. More than I care for."

Hiccup glanced up in surprise. His emerald gaze met his father's. "Of what?"

"Of losing you," Stoick confided in a way that made Hiccup's breath shudder. He tilted his head to one side and smiled gently, his life lines more pronounced with age and the creases under his eyes seeming much deeper in the dancing light of the camp fire. "I thought the Red Death was even to make my heart stop but you, my boy, are much more a dare devil than I ever was in my youth. I swear there are days I might have a heart attack watching you."

"You want me to stop dragon racing?"

Stoick shook his head. "No, no. I just mean that between battling Outcasts and Berserkers and rogue dragons and this flight suit thingy you've been working on that I have nightmares of well, some very frightening. And it's alright to be afraid. It's what makes us fight so hard for who and what we love."

Hiccup sat still for a few minutes, absorbing all that his father said. Glancing sideways he looked toward Berk, miles away where Astrid would still be asleep. "Yeah, I kind of get that."

"I knew you would," his father assured, running his large finger over Toothless's ear and causing the sleeping Nightfury to push into leg.

Hiccup smiled fondly at the pair. Stoick had come to love Toothless as much as he did and vice versa. "Toothless…" he called softly.

"Let him sleep," Stoick advised, still stroking the dragon and smiling as the dragon stretched out and kicked the air. "You should back to sleep, too, big fishing trip in the morning. No more worries."

Now Hiccup sat where his father sat and looked at the spot that once was his. It felt so long ago since that night. Since his father and Toothless were so close. He took a shaky breath and closed his eyes as a stray tear rolled down his cheek.

"Go to sleep, Hiccup," his father's voice whispered in his mind and without a second thought he nodded slowly and went back to his tent. This time he removed his armor and prosthetic before sliding in beside Sharpshot who snuggled up next to him once more. For a moment his mind wandered in worry but his father's voice once more whispered for him the go to sleep and stop worrying so much. Everything was going to be fine.

. . .

When the sun rose on Berk it was to the usual hustle and bustle as villagers went about their mornings, some setting up for market while others tended to their farms. Normally the chief would already be helping where he was needed but with Hiccup on vacation things seemed to be a little slower than usual and the Acting chief was nowhere in sight. In fact Snotlout was still asleep having had a long night.

After a few drinks with the guys and listening to Mildew's little rant he had decided to call the night. The plan originally was supposed to be to go home, get up early and start to work preparing for a big dragon race and invite the junior riders to young the senior team but he got side tracked.

His eyes slowly opened as sunlight poured into the window of his loft apartment. His sister had taken his old basement apparent which was actually much larger than the loft but only the loft offered a private entrance rather than going through the whole house to get to his room. Best of all it was cut off from the rest of the house meaning no one could just walk in anymore. It had taken him and his Dad weeks to finish it with all their other duties but it was worth it.

With a mighty yawn he rubbed his eyes and looked out to the beautiful morning. It was a perfect day for a race. Hopefully Hiccup was enjoying himself. Snotlout sat up and stretched, ready to get to work.

"Go back to sleep," a soft husky voice grumbled, throwing the covers over her head. "It's too early."

He chuckled and went to retrieve his pants. "Hiccup would have been up two hours ago," he pointed out with a "ha ha!" when he found the pants. He shook them out then sniffed them and seeing that they were clean enough slipped them on.

"Uh huh, he's crazy, what's new about that?"

Sighing he turned back to his bed mate and pulled the furs away from her face. "You know as well as I do that he's scared as hell and trying to prove himself. That's way he's always up so early and stressed out. That's why we sent him on vacation."

Bright blue eyes met his and for a moment there was understanding and worry in them but they quickly narrowed and the mask of aloofness came over them as the blonde yanked the fur over her head once more. "Yeah well I was getting tired of his moping anyway. It was either vacation or thorn off cliff without flight suit."

"You would never do that. Astrid might but you wouldn't."

"Watch me."

A smirk adorned Snotlout's face. "If that was the point you would have thrown your brother off a cliff each time he can't find Macey."

The woman threw the fur off her and glared at him. "Hey! That's different. I'm allowed to beat on my brother. Hiccup's different. He's…he's kind of like that nerdy brother you kind of have to look out for even though he likes to think he knows it all." She smiled brightly and slapped his arm. "Kind of like you but less annoying."

"Oh geez, show the love for the acting chief why don't you?"

"Oh shut up," she laughed then ducked in for a kiss. When she pulled back she was biting her lower lip, looking cute with her disheveled hair and freckled shoulders. Her gaze moved toward the open window which was usually shut tight when they got together like this. "You better go first. I'll…slip out later when no one's around."

Snotlout shook his head in bemusement as he tugged on his shirt. "You're worrying over nothing." He grabbed his boots and pulled them on and then headed for the door. "You know sooner or later you have to decide exactly what this is; a flung or a relationship. You know my vote."

"Would you just go?"

He grinned at her, admiring her bare shoulders and tussled hair. If he could he would climb back into bed and make love to her all day but as acting chief he had duties so he gave a little bow. "As my princess wishes," he called for which she threw a pillow at the door closing it behind her. He chuckled to himself before whistling for Hookfang. If there was one way to guarantee a distraction for his beloved it was with a little fancy dragon flying and there was no dragon better at that than Hookfang.


	14. Chapter 14

Beyond Valhalla 14

When Hiccup awoke for a second time it was to warm and beauty of the mid-day sun. He stretched as he stepped out of tent, surprised by the time but happy to have finally had a decent night's sleep. He couldn't remember the last time he slept so well. It felt strange not waking to Astrid's warm arms or Toothless's bulk hiding him as if he were a hatching suffering through yet another bad dream. In fact Hiccup didn't recall dreaming at all. He must have been far more tired than he thought.

Sharpshot chirped next to him, circling his feet before flapping up to climb up his arm and onto his shoulder. "Sorry, Sharp, I don't have any fish," he apologized with a small shrug as to not jostle his little friend. "But we'll go fishing soon, I promise."

The little dragon gave a series of clicks the climbed up onto Hiccup's head and got comfortable. Hiccup only laughed and carefully picked him up. "Uh huh, no curling up my head. I've got stuff to…do… Oh right…vacation. I guess I really don't have anything to do." Nonetheless he placed the Terrible Terror on the ground as he debated just what to do. Well there was that treasure hunt.

Never one to sit still for long, Hiccup ducked back into the tent and fetched Snotlout's not and the mutton. His stomach grumbled with sudden hunger and while mutton was not the best when cold it was better than nothing and better than trying to catch fish on an empty stomach. He sliced off a far size piece for Sharpshot then a larger one for himself and rewrapped the rest for later. It was always best to preserve food until he found another source. While he ate he read the letter once more, wonder what his cousin could have found that was his father's that Hiccup didn't already have. Snotlout always exaggerated things but this time Hiccup was a little more than curious to see what it could be.

Finishing his mutton he went to gather the fishing gear his friends had left him. Sharpshot followed closely behind.

The lake Snotlout spoke of wasn't far from the camp and the only reason they never set up camp closer was due to insects in the summer, especially at night and Stoick would get frustrated at insects biting his bare arms and Hiccup would normally hide under a heavy cover, keeping his head hooded whenever the bugs started nipping. Snotlout often teased him when they were little and call him a baby before doing the same thing. The other kids usually followed suit which would cause the adults to shake their heads in bemusement. It was funny, when Hiccup was real little the other kids ignored him and called him names and never took him seriously but after Toothless and the Red Death and Hiccup proved himself it was as if his whole life changed and they took actual notice of him and sometimes copied him.

And now he was chief and they plotted against him. Wow, how did that happen?

Okay, so they weren't really plotting against him but it sure felt like it.

Hiccup paused as he neared that lake. It was just as beautiful as he remembered it. It wasn't overly large maybe double the size of Toothless's lagoon, situated at the bottom of a mountain that enclosed two sides of it with a flowing waterfall and lush greenery all around and as usual there was steam. The water here was always warmer than on Berk, like bath tub water. That was why Stoick brought Hiccup there to learn to swim.

When Stoick first tried to teach Hiccup to swim the boy was only a toddler and the former chief had taken him to a nearby lake – Toothless's lagoon just for the record – in early spring when the water was still too cool for any sane person to try swimming in. But Stoick often did what Gobber called the "Polar Dip challenge" every year against their neighboring tribes and villagers for fun so the cold didn't bother him. It did Hiccup and he had started crying to moment his father put him in the water. He cried harder when his father tried to get him to swim and absolutely screamed when his dad wouldn't let him get out and continued until Gobber scooped him up and playfully scolded Stoick for introducing the little guy to swimming at the wrong time of the year. Gobber was good at seeing the things Stoick couldn't when it came to Hiccup. Stoick was always so gun hoe, so sure Hiccup was ready when Hiccup wasn't, like with swimming and sword fighting and chiefing when he wasn't. But Gobber also had ways of getting Stoick to listen when no one could and they waited a whole two years before trying to teach Hiccup to swim again and they brought him here. Here was where it all began.

A small smile tugged at Hiccup's lips and he put the fishing gear aside, opting to go swimming instead. It had been a long time since he swam, maybe since that last camping trip with his Dad. He found a rock ledge over a deeper part of the water and undressed there. He left his prosthetic on the rock with the majority of his clothing, happy he decided to leave his armor back in the tent – it wasn't as if he would need it here – then slipped into the water. It was a little trick he learned for Snotlout of all people. Shortly after losing his leg they had a family camping trip in the hopes of helping Hiccup adjust to his new disability and work through it. Hoping down shore on one leg was not an easy task but Stoick had stayed at his side, ready to catch him and support him even though Hiccup wanted to be self-sufficient. His father fussed over him a lot those first few months and that was probably why he never objected when Toothless would rush to his side to help him. The problem wasn't just getting in the water, it was swimming.

When Hiccup first began swimming he hadn't been very good at it and his father would telling him again and again to "kick, use your legs, Hiccup. Odin didn't give them to you just to be clumsy. Kick, boy, kick". And Hiccup would kick his legs as hard as he could just to stay above water and didn't really get the hang of it until he was in his early teens. When he lost his lower left calf he was suddenly back at square one. He could still kick but with only one foot staying afloat was not an easy task and Stoick was at a loss on what to do and Gobber wanted him out of the water.

"Use your arms," Snotlout had said, swimming up to him and having an unusual worried look on his normally arrogant face. His voice was hush, as if telling Hiccup a great secret.

Now using your arms to keep afloat was often frowned upon by Vikings. They were mighty warriors with mighty legs who could swim for hours without tiring but Hiccup had proven he wasn't the usual Viking no matter how much he might try but he still feared the taboo of using his arms to keep afloat.

"Don't be stupid, just use your arms like you would your legs. You can always had a fin to the metal leg later or something and make it water proof," his cousin said in all seriousness.

Hiccup hesitated, worrying his lower lip until he went under again. Then he panicked and flapped his arms until his head broke the surface again. Then he stopped questioning Snotlout's advice and did as he was told. Stoick, Gobber and Spitelout stared first in horror and then with pride as Hiccup began swimming on his own and Snotlout started crowing in pride about it being all his doing. Snotlout had even gotten out of the water early to put Hiccup's prosthetic on the rock ledge and told Hiccup to try getting out there instead of playing the "extremely amusing" hoping up the beach and fall game.

That seemed like a life time ago. Hiccup never did build the fin Snotlout suggested simply because the metal of his leg was too heavy to go in the water and there was always the chance of it rusting. Otherwise it was a good idea just not the right material. Otherwise Hiccup would be a much faster swimmer. But he wasn't too bad if he did say so himself. His arms weren't big and powerful like his father's but they were strong enough to get him across the lake in a reasonable time. He and his friends often raced when they swam together. They were all very competitive and even when Hiccup didn't want to compete he often did and if it meant coming in second last place.

He was having so much fun, forgetting his problems and responsibilities with thoughts of his past that he nearly forgot about the treasure hunt until he was nearly under the waterfall.

What was he doing? He should be searching for the next clue and catching some fish not playing in the water. He sighed and wiped the hair from his eyes before focusing completely on keeping his head above water. It was then he noticed a flash of silver on the other side of the falls. He tilted his head slightly to try and get a better look. That shouldn't be there. He looked around but there was no walk path to the back of the falls, he had to swim under it to get to the other side. Shaking his head he dove under the water and under the falls. Thankfully the current wasn't very, the falls lowly lighting from a small shallow river above. Once Hiccup was on the other side he broke for air and looked up the rock face to the silver object that caught his eye. It was a flask, one like his grandfather, Old Wrinkly, had when he was little. He got it from some Russian friend. Wait…it was Old Wrinkly's flask!

"That was lost in Dad's hut!" Hiccup gasped in surprised. He had cleared everything out of his and his father's home after the Bewilderbeast destroyed it but that was lost. It and one pipe were all he had of his grandfather. Without thinking twice, Hiccup grabbed onto the rocks and dragged himself up the rock wall, using the toes of his one remaining foot to grip the rocks and keep balance. It was tough work but whoever had placed the flask made sure to keep it high enough not to be swept away by the falls but low enough for Hiccup to reach without climbing so high. He grasped after only climbing a meter and a half up then jumped back into the water with a little whoop.

He didn't open it right away, he waited until he returned to his rock ledge and pulled himself out. Then he sat down and stared at the aging metal. His fingers ran over the intricate engraving. His grandfather had given it to his father when he got very ill, a few weeks before he passed on and told Stoick to give it to Hiccup on his wedding day. It wasn't a traditional Viking wedding gift but then Old Wrinkly was one for traditions, he was a scholar and explorer much like Hiccup was…once.

"I miss you, grandpa," Hiccup whispered. Then, not sure why, he unscrewed the cap. Inside was not his grandfather's favorite whiskey but rather a tightly rolled scrap of paper. "Should have guessed."

Pulling out the parchment and carefully placed the flask beside him before unrolling the next clue.

"Hey Cuppy!

Ha ha! You never let me call you that. Okay, okay. Here's your next clue. Okay, you know when your dad tried teaching you to hunt and he built that tree fort in the forest to hunt deer and when you couldn't kill a deer he gave it to us to play in? Head there for you next clue.

If you're looking for a riddle to solve you got the wrong rider. Wait for Fishlegs' note.

Hope you're having fun,

Ruffnut"

Hiccup gave a snort at the stupid nickname. Ruffnut had given it to him when he was little as a way to torment him, as if being named Hiccup wasn't bad enough. She hadn't used it since they became friends, at least not often and rarely to his face which meant whatever was waiting for him at the old tree fort was either going to be worth the trek or it was some silly trinket and a waste of time. Still, he was curious enough to forego fishing and continue the hunt for whatever it was of his father's that his friends hid on the island.

Dressing quickly, he reattached his prosthetic and made the tricky climb back to shore. He left the fishing gear behind, certain he would return to catch some dinner in an hour or two, and headed for the old tree fort. This was actually more fun than he anticipated. Two riders down, three to go…unless Eret got in on this, which he highly doubted. Eret didn't know him well enough to join in on the game his friends had set up and certainly didn't know his father or the great things he had done. And if Hiccup's hunch was right the objects he would find would be ones his friends rescued for the hut he once shared with his father, the ones he cherished and thought lost. For that alone the hunt was worthwhile.

. . .

"There you are!" Eret greeted Stephan as the redhead stepped out of Valka's hut. He didn't seem to care and only smiled brightly as the clapped the larger man on the shoulder before ushering him toward the forge. "I meant to talk to you yesterday but you took off before I could say a word."

A little taken back by the former Trapper's friendliness Stoick pulled back. "And what exactly did you want to talk about?" he asked, his stomach knotting in worry for his wife. He loved Valka with all his heart and wanted to be with her every minute of the day but Gobber's warning that people might get the wrong idea…or the right one but assume it was something different.

"Hiccup or course," Eret chirped. "And maybe Skullcrusher and Toothless."

"Oh?" Now he was worried and a little confused. "What about Hiccup?"

Eret gave him a sideways glance as they entered the forge. Gobber was off doing something else. "Well I'm just a little surprise about yesterday…the others are, too, really. I didn't think much of it when Skullcrusher rubbed up against you or asked for a scratch, he does that with a lot of people but Toothless…Toothless is usually attached to Hiccup at the hip. I rarely see them apart, yet you show up and all of a sudden Toothless is acting like a wounded puppy looking for forgiveness and going to you more than Hiccup. I know it's driving our young chief insane, especially after Toothless's betrayal on the island. I saw how crushed Hiccup looked, almost as devastated as when Drago took Toothless."

"Wait, Drago stole Toothless?" Stoick demanded, feeling enraged on his son's behalf.

Eret gave a nod and gestured to a work bench so they could across from each other in peace. "It was right after his father died. That Bewilderbeast of Drago's took control of all the dragons and he took Toothless just to drive the knife deeper into Hiccup's heart." He sighed and looked away from Stephan/Stoick. "You know when I met Hiccup he was this cocky, big mouth, know-it-all brat who thought he could make anyone love dragons and to an extent he was right. I guess I'm proof. I kind of miss that Hiccup. I only got to know him for a short time before grief and stress took him away."

"Has it really been that bad?" Stoick asked, shocked by the Trapper's words. "Is Hiccup suffering?"

Eret looked up toward the chief's hut. "Gobber says when you died a large part of Hiccup died, too. He thought with Valka back that it might help him heal but he hasn't. Even marrying Astrid and expecting a baby hasn't brought the old carefree Hiccup back. According to him Hiccup is intent on proving himself worthy of being your successor."

Stoick sighed. "Hiccup was always an overachiever. It was always either doing exactly as he was told or the exact opposite, especially when he was acting chief. The boy just…wait, what did you say? My successor? I'm afraid…"

The dark hair man laughed. "So I was right! I figured there must be a good reason for Toothless acting as he has and Valka being so happy. She hasn't even made a quip about my trapping days or grumble whenever I'm around the dragons. And Gobber and Spitelout have been so secretive and protective of you. Trust me Gobber can be weird and Spitelout uptight but lately they've been weirder than usual."

"What are you getting at, Eret son of Eret?"

A grin tugged at Eret's lips. He lowered his voice and leaned forward a bit. "You're not who you say you are. You're not Hiccup's cousin. You're his father." He raised his hands quickly when Stoick made a move to grab him. "Easy…easy, I'm not going to tell anyone. I just wanted to sit and chat and give you a heads up that there are a few people starting to take notice of yours and Valka's relationship."

Stoick figured as much. His fingers tightened into fists before relaxing. He thumbed his hand on the table. "So what do you want to keep my secret?"

Eret blinked, as if surprised, then grinned widely. "Let me show you something." He left the table and hurried off into a back room where Gobber stored weapon prototypes.

The former chief stood, ready to stop the young man but Eret returned a moment later with a small box. He glanced around to see if Gobber was around then placed it on the table. When he opened the lid there was a strange smelling black powder inside. Stoick's nose wrinkled at the smell.

"Hiccup and I were working on this for a while, trying to break it down to see what it's made of. But this…this is Drago's secret weapon. When he and his men attacked the sanctuary this was what they used to bring it down…well most of it," Eret explained, dipping a small bowl into the powder and removing some. Then he closed the box and pushed it to the end of the table. "You might want to step back."

Stoick quickly did so as Eret took a long narrow torch and dipped in it the furnace. Once the tip was lit he returned.

"Ready?"

The other man shrugged, not sure what was about to happen.

"Oh! Oh! Are you going to make it blow?" Tuffnut asked from the window, his face filled with glee at seeing the black powder. "Ruff, he's doing it!"

"Yay!"

"I'm guessing you've done this before," Stoick stated as not only the twins came rushing to the window but also a few children and adults.

"Well everyone loves the bang," Eret joked before shoving the torch into the bowl.

BANG!

Everyone jumped as the resounding bang filled the forge and spread through the square followed by a much plume of smoke. There was silence of a moment as the smoke cleared and then resounding cheers and applause as well as demands for move, namely from the twins. Stoick gave a shaky laugh, his ears stills ringing from the bang.

"Now put that in a cannon and throw a bludgeon in and there's a weapon," Eret said proudly, a hand on his hip as he leaned against the shaft of the torch. "We didn't have much on my ship but Drago's fleet was well equipped with it. He doesn't need a dragon army to conquer small island nations it's the bigger ones. Now if we can replicate this stuff then we'll have a backup plan in case something happens to our dragons."

"It has merit," Stoick agreed.

"What have I told you about messing with that stuff in my forge?" Gobber demanded, storming into the forge with Grump lumbering behind him. He snatched the torch from Eret and dowsed it in a nearby bucket of water before grabbing the box of powder and locking it up. "Out! My forge is not your playground, boy. Now. Move it. Not you, Stephan! I've got a few words for you, lad. Eret, get your ass out of my forge now before I let Ruffnut have her way with you. That's it…go! Shoo!"

He went to kick Eret backside with his wooden foot but the young man hurried off with a cocky smile and a jolly laugh at the blacksmith's grumpiness.

"Later, Stephan!" the sailor called before Gobber slammed the door behind him.

The usually easy going blacksmith grumbled as he hobbled toward Stoick, looking tired and not so happy. "Watch yourself with that one, he's nothing but trouble," he told Stoick, his wooden foot thumping as he walked. He sat at the table and gestured for his old friend to do the same.

"Seems like a nice enough kid."

"Don't say that in front of Valka or she'd string up."

Stoick chuckled, certain that would never happen.

"She thinks he's a spy for Drago," Gobber explained before frowning at the black smudges on his worn table. "Of course Hiccup adores him and the two of them have been playing with that black powder. That Odin it's almost all gone."

"It could be a viable weapon."

"Except we can't reproduce it." Gobber stared down at his good hand then up at Stoick. "But…Hiccup has been working on other weapon prototypes. Stuff that's not like him. Not since he tried being a dragon slayer, you remember…pre-Toothless."

Stoick did remember. A lot of those things were very dangerous and had caused both damage and injury to the village. Of course there was that one that worked and brought Toothless down but Stoick always chalked that up to a fluke. He had gotten much better as he got older but almost everything he designed in the last five years was defensive not offensive. "Show me."

Gobber met Stoick's eyes. "You're not going to like it."

"Show me."

His old friend was right. He wasn't happy with what he saw and he really couldn't even fathom what half of the weapons were only that they were small, light, sharp and deadly. The size was what took Stoick by surprise. They weren't made for a typical Viking's hand. They were made specifically for Hiccup and to attack to his armor.

"He's preparing for war," Stoick breathed, both proud and shocked by his child's preparations.

"That's not all," Gobber said, gesturing for Stoick to follow him to the small room in the back that was usually Hiccup's workshop. Stoick jaw fell open. "He's been stockpiling them."

Hanging off the walls were various sizes and designs of the same strange crossbow like weapon Gobber had showed him as well as variations of his fire sword. Stoick took a deep breath. He had told Hiccup he would have to prepare him for war, he never imagined his child the peacekeeper would take it to heart. "Does Valka know?" he asked, his chest tight at the thought of his Hiccup going up against Drago once more.

"Yeah…sort of. But I don't think anyone knows what lengths he's willing to go to in order to protect us." Gobber leaned against the door frame as he and Stoick admired the weapons. "This might be bigger than the dragon wars."


	15. Chapter 15

Beyond Valhalla 15

The fleet landed late in the afternoon, when the sun was still high and air warm. Drago sniffed the air, taking in the fresh air with its scent of wild foliage. Such a contrast to the sea air he had become accustomed to. This would make the perfect base of operations. He and his men had been at sea far too long. It was time to take an island to make theirs while in the Archipelago. "Set up camp and free the dragons," he bellowed to his men as he made his way to shore. "We're going to be here awhile and I want everything in order before night fall! Take the tracker dragons and find a food and fresh water source."

The men called out acknowledgements as they went about following his orders. It had taken years but Drago had organized a good team, or at least one that was not stupid enough to disobey him let alone displease him. Not like that Eret boy. Such a disappointment. Ah well…there was more where he came from.

"Sir!" one of his hunters called from the top of the cliff.

Drago growled under his breath as he glanced toward the man. "What is it?" he demanded in irritation. He wanted to eat then relax for the evening without interruption. His men usually knew better than to bother him at such times.

The hunter jumped down and landed before his boss with ease but he smartly kept his distance should the news he have enrage his leader. "We're not alone," he reported. "There is a hint of smoke from the west…recent. Whoever made it may still be here."

"A passing dragon no doubt," Drago dismissed, turning away.

"Dragon fire does not smell like dry brunt wood."

Drago gave a snort. "Fine, take a few men and check it out. Do not engage just observe for now. I do not want any of you to be seen."

"And if it's a dragon rider?"

He paused. "Then I will deal with them personally."

"Aye, sir."

The warlord glanced over his shoulder as his hunter whistled for his pack then made off with three armored dragons. No doubt it was just some explorer who would either join them or be killed but if it was a dragon rider…well then they might finally have a way to break through Berk's defenses and claim the island and all its dragons. Then he would prove to their little chief, Hiccup and all the world just who was the Dragon Master.

. . .

The treasure hunt proved to be fun and increasingly harder. Snotlout and Ruffnut hadn't tried giving him a riddle to solve but Fishlegs had and he had made it a dozy but it was well worth it. The tree fort didn't have some silly trinket but a carefully wrapped bag of goodies. Hiccup sat on the steps and munched away at one of the cookies as he read and reread his friend's note.

"Find the thing of red and blue, an anthem sung by me and you," he murmured for the umpteenth time since first opening it. Leaning an elbow on the knee of his bad leg he subconsciously tapped his good foot. "Red and blue? What is red and blue?"

The only thing he could think of was next to impossible. It was built when they were very little and fighting to be noticed by their tribe but after so long Hiccup had thought it destroyed. Why would Fishlegs keep it when they were both far too large to fit inside? Well Fishlegs definitely was, Hiccup might be able to squeeze inside if he held his breath and curled into a ball but he was sure his legs would still hang over. The Hopeful Puffin was never meant for an adult to sail in. So where would Fishlegs have hidden it?

Anthem sung by me and you?

That was an odd one. He couldn't recall ever having the Puffin on this island or…wait, there was that time when they were eleven, before Fishlegs had a massive growth spurt and started hanging out with Astrid, Snotlout and the twins more. Hiccup almost burst out laughing. He knew where the next clue was but it was going to be a bit of a walk.

And it was. He found the Hopeful Puffin floating in a pond several kilometers away. It was a watering hole for the island animals. It was one of his father's favorite tracking spots and sure enough there were a few deer lapping up water near the bobbing, misshapen boat with its red and blue sail flapping happily in the wind.

"I'm making him help me carry that back to Berk," he decided as he strolled toward the little vessel, mindful of the deer. He knelt and carefully pulled the rope tying the boat to a nearby tree until it reached the shore. Tied to the mast were the next clue and another trinket, a panpipe. "Are you kidding me?"

He never owned a panpipe and neither had his father as far as he knew…that was Gobber's thing and as such he was expecting the next clue to be from his mentor not Tuffnut.

"Okay, eh…yeah. Astrid's clue is back at the camp. Hope you can play this better than Gobber because we really need a break away from it.

Hope you're having fun.

Tuff"

This time Hiccup did laugh. Tuffnut hated Gobber's musical skills or lack thereof so stealing the panpipes wasn't all that surprising. Making it part of the treasure hunt however was rather surprising but Hiccup took it anyway and inspected it. Well at least Tuff didn't smash it to pieces as he threatened so many times. Pocketing it, Hiccup stood and released the Puffin. The panpipe he could carry but the boat would have to wait until the other came back for him.

Sharpshot gave a whine and stared up at him with large pleading eyes. Hiccup sighed and glanced down at his little companion. "You know you can catch fish without me," he told the Terrible Terror but the dragon only got pouty. "You're the one giving Toothless tips, are you? My Dad's right, I spoiled you two far too much. Fine, let's go get some dish then head back to camp. I can find Astrid's clue in the morning."

The Terrible Terror chirped merrily and flew around him before taking the lead. Hiccup only shook head his in bemusement before following. The trek back to his old swimming hole took far longer than he was used to and by the time he found his fishing rod he was almost ready to call it a day. Things took a lot longer without Toothless to help him. He couldn't remember the last time he had to walk too much. If he wasn't careful he was getting to get lazy and develop a gut like Gobber's. Maybe he should walk more often…just not so far, he wasn't a kid anymore. He only fished long enough to catch Sharpshot dinner then returned to camp where he ate the last of the mutton and fruit as he sat at the campfire. He was tired, really tired but it was a good sort of tired, not the bone wrenching exhaustion of the last few months. Hell, it wasn't even the mind numbing exhaustion he felt when Alvin kidnapped him and he slept for days. No, this was like a long day of exploration and flying with Toothless or chasing after Astrid during one of their races or simply being together. Gods, he missed them both. It had only been a day but it might as well have been a year.

He glanced at Sharpshot, tempted to send the little dragon back to Berk with some lame excuse to convince his friends to come and get him. A broken leg? Food poisoning? He can blame that one on Snotlout and while they would know it was a lie Snotlout would be insulted enough to come and yell at him face to face. But Sharpshot's focus was not on trying to still the food in Hiccup's hands. Instead the dragon was sniffing the air and looking toward the hills. He gave a little growl before meowing and cowering against Hiccup's leg.

"Hey…what's wrong?" Hiccup asked, placing a protective had on the little creature's head. He looked in the direction Sharpshot had been saw nothing in the darkness. His eyes narrowed and he tried to see if there were any shadows out of place but everything seemed calm if a little too quiet. It was almost eerie. It lasted for only a few short minutes before everything returned to normal. The crickets began chirping once more and Sharpshot came out of hiding. It must have been a passing dragon but with the darkness of night it was hard to, especially if its colors were dark. Hiccup listened carefully for a few minutes longer before dismissing the incident, at least partially. He stayed up a few hours longer to make sure nothing else happened before going to bed. By the time he climbed into bed he had forgotten all about the strange occurrence and fell into a much needed deep sleep.

. . .

"What are you doing?" Astrid asked when she found Snotlout sitting on the floor of her hut where she normally found Hiccup, working on the cradle her husband had been working so hard on the last few months.

The acting chief was biting his bottom lip as he carefully chiseled the pattern his cousin had drawn out, trying not to go too deep. He wasn't as artistic as Hiccup but he wasn't completely new at craving.

"Snotlout?" Astrid tried again.

"Sh…" he breathed before flicking his wrist to remove a stray piece of wood. Then he blew at the cradle and grinned. "Not too bad."

"Snotlout?" Astrid sighed, strolling across to room. "That's Hiccup's project. He's been working on it for months and…"

"And he's not going to have much time when he gets back," Snotlout pointed out. He sat back and adjusted the cradle on his lap. "Did you have dinner? Mom sent chicken stew. It's warming over the hearth."

The young woman shook his head. "Oh, thanks. No, I've been trying to get Toothless to calm down. He was doing pretty good with Stephan but this afternoon he started going wild and trying to fly off on his own. He nearly fell off the cliff. And my cramps are getting worse." She stretched then winced.

"Are you in labor?" Snotlout gasped, putting the cradle aside to stand. "Should I get Gothi?"

She chuckled in amusement. There were days Snotlout acted just like Hiccup. Both over worried about her, only Snotlout was usually cockier about it. "No, I'm fine. Mother says this happens to lots of new mothers within weeks of giving birth."

He looked doubtful. "You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She played Hiccup's satchel on the table. She had been using it to hold the fruit she had bought at the market since it was much easier to carry then the basket she would normally use. Placing a hand on the small of her back she stretched.

Snotlout went back to work on the cradle. "So you hear the latest rumor?"

"No, been too busy. What's today's headlines?"

He carved another section out. "Well Hiccup isn't losing his mind. Okay he is but he's not crazy."

"That makes me feel better."

He chuckled. "Yeah well it's about his mom. You know how he thought she was seeing someone without telling, turns out he was right."

"She's a grown woman."

"Want to guess who?"

She shrugged. "Gunner?"

He gave a snort. "Gunner's with Maggie, remember?"

She only shrugged a second time.

Shaking his head he focused on his work for a few more minutes before continuing. "You know Hic's and my cousin, Stephan?"

"Yeah?"

"Definitely our side of the family…otherwise Valka's got a weird kink."

Astrid dropped the cup of water she had poured herself and stared at him in horror. "Does anyone else know this?"

"Ruff, Tuff and Fishlegs for sure. Probably half the village if Mildew has anything to say about it." He looked up when her breathing grew suddenly rapid and she grabbed the table top. "Astrid?"

"Hiccup doesn't know that part, does he?"

He shook his head. "No. If he did he would have gone berserk on Stephan at Green Haven or even before. You know how protective he is of his mother."

Astrid nodded. "Yeah, that's what I thought." She took a few deep breathes before pushing away from the table. "I need to talk to her." Hurried out of the hut before Snotlout had a chance to set the cradle aside and was half way up the hill before he managed to catch up to her.

"Whoa…wait! Astrid, this is none of our business!" he called, hurrying to her side.

"Maybe not yours but I'm Hiccup's wife which makes this my business," she pointed out, pausing for a moment and pressing a hand to her side.

"Maybe but you're in no condition to be storming up to her hut," he argued, trying to stop her but one hard look made him step back. "Okay, but I'm coming with you, got it?"

She rolled her eyes and continued on, not caring if he followed or not. The climb was hard with her big belly and she had to take a few breaks and she was huffing by the time she made it to the door of Valka's hut. She paused for a moment to catch her breath and think about what she would say to her mother-in-law. The sound of giggling and hushed whispers made her head jerk up. She only knew Valka a few months but she had never heard her giggle, not like that. And the whispers…if she didn't know better she would have thought…no, that wasn't possible.

Her heart racing she rapped her fist against the door. "Valka?" she called, pushing the door open. She jerked back slightly when she came face to face to face with Valka and Stephan in a loving embrace.

The two stared at her with wide eyes, both looking guilty, as if they should break apart but not wishing to. It took a few heartbeats before Valka pulled away from Stephan and moved toward Astrid. "Astrid, is something wrong?" she asked as if nothing unusual was happening.

The blonde looked at her as if she was insane. "Are you serious?" she demanded.

Snotlout stumbled in. "Ah…sorry, guys. Astrid, we should be going." He grabbed her arm in hopes of convincing her to leave. The look in Stephan's eyes was far too familiar.

"Let go," Astrid said in a low dangerous voice. She pulled free and stepped further into the hut. "Hiccup has been on the verge of a complete meltdown and you're sleeping with his cousin?" She was considerably shorter than Valka but that didn't stop Astrid from getting in her face. "Everyone's questioning his sanity lately and he was right? You've replaced Stoick with…with him? Someone half his age?"

"Astrid," Stephan said in a warning voice. "That's enough."

She whirled on him. "No, it's not. She's was missing twenty years. Twenty years! Hiccup grew up without a mother. Then he finally gets her back at the cost of his father and now a cousin he doesn't even know shows up and just happens to be her lover?"

"Astrid, calm down and listen to me," Stephen said sternly.

The young woman winced and stepped back, her hand tightening on her belly. "Ow…" she breathed.

"Astrid!" Valka gasped, rushing to her but the girl held up a hand.

"Is it true?" Astrid gasped, straightening as best she could.

Valka glanced from her to Stephan then Snotlout. "Yes," she answered honestly.

"Why?"

The older woman opened her mouth then shut it and looked to Stephan for help.

"Why didn't you tell Hiccup?" Astrid demanded before double over.

Snotlout went to grab her but in three large strides Stephan was there and lifting her up as if Astrid weighed nothing at all. He held her to her chest and carried her across the room to the bed. "Easy, Astrid. Take deep breaths. That's my girl. Just relax," he said gently as he laid her down. "It's alright."

It was weird. Astrid was certain he had been in this man's arms before. They were fatherly and kind and loving and not those of a young man regardless of their appearance. Everything in her said that she knew him right down to his scent. But there were obvious things wrong, his voice, age and…beard. There should be a big bushy red beard streaked with grey. She could picture these things as if looking directly at them. Her eyes closed as gently fingers brushed over her brow.

"Stoick?" she asked, staring deep into his eyes.

He smiled down at her. "It's me, Astrid."

Her breath shuddered and she smiled brightly up at him with tears in her eyes. Then she did something she rarely did with anyone other than Hiccup and her parents, she hugged him tightly. "It's really you? Oh my Gods, we've missed you."

He hugged her back. "I've missed you, too."

Snotlout stared at them in complete awe and confusion. "Stoick's alive?" he whispered, glancing at Valka who only nodded. "Huh…well that explains why Dad and Gobber having been hanging out together. I was starting to think the world was ending. Is she okay?"

Valka gently placed a hand on Astrid's belly. "She's in labor," she reported, frowning slightly. "The baby's coming early."


	16. Chapter 16

Beyond Valhalla 16

"Breath," Valka advised as she sat on the edge of the bed. "Just relax and breathe, sweetie. It'll be okay."

The young woman shook her head. "I'm not due for another month. I can't…I can't be having the baby now. Hiccup's not here."

"It's alright. The riders will get him but first we should find your mother and Gothi," Valka said, taking Astrid's hand. "Now focus on your breathing and try to relax. Snotlout, go fetch Gothi and send someone to get Phlegma. "

Snotlout, still at a loss could only nod before running off to do as he was instructed.

But Astrid had far too many questions. And rather than laying back and taking it easy she pushed herself onto her elbows to look at Stoick. "How…how is it you're alive and like…well that? Even if you shaved your beard you could never be that young. I mean…" She looked a little flustered and lost for words and another painful cramp forced her to lie down.

Stoick sighed as he knelt next to the bed and took her other hand. "I honestly wish I knew. It's all rather confusing."

"Hiccup needs to know. He thinks you're dead. You've been here a week and haven't told him. He thinks Valka…"

"I know. I… You're right, I should have told him," Stoick agreed, feeling a little ashamed for not telling Hiccup who he was instead of letting Gobber come up with the silly cousin story. The next time he saw his son he would make the boy sit down and tell him the truth.

She gave a nod and finally relaxed. "He misses you. I know you had your differences but he hasn't been the same since he lost you."

"So I've seen."

Silence fell between them as they took each other into consideration, one with pride and love at his daughter-in-law and the other in confusion and surprise and hope.

"I'm going to make this right," Stoick promised, patting Astrid's knee. "I promise. I'll make things right between me and Hiccup."

She only gave a nod and winced in pain.

Valka placed a hand on his arm. "Darling, can you fetch some warm towels? It'll help ease the pain and may slow the labor long enough for Hiccup to get home."

It was unlikely but it was worth a shot. Stoick puttered around gathering whatever Valka asked even if it seemed utterly ridiculous. The worth of the towels did work, at least enough for Astrid to relax and dose off for a while with Valka watching over her like a worried hen, or mother dragon as was her taste. Stoick watched the two with a fatherly smile, excited to meet his first grandchild. But there was something very, very wrong. Hiccup should be the one here rushing about to tend to his wife as she gave birth not him. He had missed Hiccup's birth and had regretted it ever since. He wasn't going to let Hiccup miss out on this once and a life time event. He had to go get him. Of course that would work better if Astrid wasn't clinging to his hand right at the moment.

Help came in the form of Gothi followed moments later by Phlegma, Gobber and Tuffnut, the younger looking rather ashen and fidgety. Gothi gestured for Valka and Stoick to move back and checked Astrid over, including just how far she had dilated.

"I don't have to do that, do I?" Tuffnut asked in a horrified voice, ready to bolt for the door if Gothi or Gobber asked him to do the same to Astrid.

"No, you're here to play catch," Gobber said, moving to Stoick's side. "Excited?"

Stoick couldn't help the goofy smile that filled his face. "Aye." He looked from his best friend to his daughter-in-law. "But this won't be right without Hiccup. He deserves to see his child born."

Gobber nodded. "So what are you going to do?" A small grin played over his lips as Stoick smiled.

"I'm getting my son," he said, slapping the blacksmith across the back. He hurried to Valka and pressed his lips to her temple then did the same with Astrid. "I'm going to bring Hiccup home," he promised, kissing the back of her hand. "Just home in there."

"Yeah…" the girl whispered, her eyes closing. "It doesn't hurt so much. We should be okay until Hiccup's home."

"That's my girl," he told her encouragingly.

Gothi looked doubtful but continued making preparations.

"What's going on?" Tuffnut asked in confusion as the large man brushed past him.

"Change of plans, you're coming with me. Snotlout, gather the rest of the riders. We need to cut Hiccup's vacation short," Stoick said excitedly, a skip in his step as he hurried out of the hut. "Skull…" he was about to yell, the dragon's signature howl on his lips when he remembered Skullcrusher was no longer his. He waited only a moment before giving the Nightfury howl instead, thankful that Hiccup had insisted he learn it years ago. Toothless didn't hurry to him as he had the last few days. There was a sad, lonely look on his ebony face. There was no doubt he was missing his rider. "Good news, Tooth, Hiccup's coming home," Stoick announced, pressing his forehead to Toothless's. "And you're about to have a new Haddock to fuss over and not the fishy sort."

Excitement filled Toothless and it was as if he came back to life, his tail swishing and wings flaring.

"Someone better tell me what's going on," Tuffnut whispered to Snotlout.

"I wouldn't even know where to begin," Snotlout confided. "But Stoick's back."

Tuffnut only stared at him as if he had lost his mind and Snotlout was pretty sure the younger man wasn't that far off. None of this felt real and he knew Hiccup, despite his usually open mind, would never believe Stephan was Stoick.

. . .

"No…no…Dad…DAD!" Hiccup cried as he twisted and turned in his sleep. His blanket tangled around his legs making the trapped feeling all consuming. His heart raced and arms flailed as if to block a blow. "Toothless, no! NO!" He screamed, waking up to the memory of his father's death. Panting heavily he sat up and tried to come to his senses. He was in his tent on Green Haven by himself. Toothless was safe back on Berk and his father…his father was gone. There was no changing that.

Disgusted, he flopped back on his bed and threw an arm over his eyes. After how well he slept the night before he had hoped for the same tonight but that didn't seem to be the case. The Gods simply hated him. These nightmares were going to be the death of him. Not sure what else to do he untangled the blankets and freed his legs. There was no way he could go back to sleep, not with nightmares awaking him, so he dressed and put on his prosthetic. He might as well get up and eat.

Sharpshot, who he spooked when he screamed, backed away, fearing he may yell again.

"Sorry, little guy. I didn't mean to scare you," Hiccup apologized, giving him a pet. "I know I act silly sometimes. I'll get better, I promise."

That and a little piece of jerky seemed to appease the tiny dragon.

Hiccup scratched the dragon between the horns, feeling a little better that he at least had someone with him so he wasn't completely alone. Usually when he had a nightmare he would cuddle against Toothless or Astrid or call out for his…father, who was no longer with them. He ran a hand through his hair. He was thinking more and more of his father lately. Maybe it was because the anniversary of his death was quickly approaching. Whatever the reason he was making himself sick, physically and mentally. He knew that. He'd known for a while now but there was no avoiding it. He was chief now. He had to be strong for his people and make sure they were all safe and had homes and he had to prepare for his and Astrid's first child, which meant he had no time to worry about himself and…

He was such an idiot. His friends had sent him here to relax and forget about the village's problems for a few days and here he was doing the exact opposite. No wonder he was getting sick. They could see it just as clearly as he could. It was time to stop worrying so much and have a little fun. The treasure hunt yesterday had been great and while it brought back a lot of memories, some painful, like those of his father, they had also been happy ones, ones he wanted to remember and cherish for as long as he lived.

Which brought him back to Astrid's clue which he had found at the bottom of his ransack hidden between a folded pair of spare pants. He reached under his pillow where he had put it and pulled the parchment out. It was next to impossible to see inside the tent so he kept it on top of the pillow until he was dressed and his prosthetic was attached then went out to meet the early dawn with it. He started a small campfire, just something to take away the morning chill and give a little more light to read by then sat close as he read.

"Hey Babe,

Having fun yet? I hope so or I'm going to kick your cute butt when you get back. Okay, so here's the deal, as you know Snotlout hid something of your Dad's. It was my idea, so don't get mad at him even if he tries to claim credit which we both know he will. It's something very important, something that I know you really want even if you don't know it yet.

So where is this mysterious object you may ask? Go to the tree where you first proposed to me and your father interrupted before I could answer. There you will find an opening in the trunk. Reach inside and you will find what you've been missing.

Love you, Babe.

Your Lady, Astrid"

Hiccup gave a small laugh. It was rare for Astrid to refer to herself that way, he was the only one who ever called you that but that fact that she had said it warmed his heart and brought a tear to his eyes. However her letter did raise a few questions. What of his father's could possibly fit in the trunk of a tree? Definitely none of his axes or swords. Well that did it his curiosity was peaked now more than ever. Slipping the note in his pocket he got up. He had nothing better to do so he might as well get started now. And once he had whatever it was his friends had of his father's then maybe that knot in his chest will finally go away. He wasn't sure but the hope was there. If anything it might make a good gift for the baby, something to know his grandfather by…if it was baby safe. Knowing his Dad, that was probably unlikely. Still, it was better than sitting around doing nothing.

So he began his search although it really wasn't much of a search, he knew exactly where he was going. It was a tree at the top of the waterfall. When his father started bringing the other riders on some of their trips Hiccup and Astrid used to sneak away and go there. At first it was only to goof off then Astrid decided Hiccup needed private training when it came to hand to hand combat. It was where they had their first real date away from everyone and where no one would immediately think to look for them. And then, the last time the riders all went camping with Stoick, the two had gone up to their favorite spot to spar and for once Hiccup managed to best the shield maiden. Of course she had cheated and managed to flip him but he didn't care, he was mesmerized by her smile and although it didn't go as planned, he asked her to marry him in between heated kisses. And it just so happened that his father had come along to fetch them for Thor knows what and overheard the entire thing. Stoick was beaming with pride the rest of the day even though Astrid didn't give an answer until nearly a month later when Hiccup tried again, this time with an appropriate gift. But as far as Astrid was concerned their tree was where they got engaged. Sooner or later he had to bring her back.

Their place was just as he left it and he could almost see Astrid standing there with a little challenging smirk. Well, he was always up for a good game.

. . .

Annoyance was the first thing Drago felt when his men reported someone being on the island. The smoke had already told him as much but he was worried, not even when the hunters reported a lone camper on the other side of the island. It didn't even bother him when he was told the man had a small Terrible Terror. No what made him look twice was the description of the man. Young, thin with dark shaggy hair. It could have been anyone really but a nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach made Drago's eyes narrow and fingers twitch. The boy was here, he knew it with every ounce of his fiber.

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third was on this island.

"And the Nightfury?" he growled, his grip on his bullhook tightening.

"We didn't see any Nightfuries, sir," Ayrin reported, confused at first.

Drago snarled and whirled on the man. "No!" he snapped before calming. "There are no Nightfuries, just one. And it belongs to me."

The three men hurriedly nodded. "It's most likely just some camper. What would a Hooligan be doing here" one man asked foolishly.

"Take me to this camper. I want to see him with my own eyes," Drago growled before yelling for a dragon to attend him. He mounted the armored dragon and motioned for his hunters to do the same with theirs. They kept high to avoid being detected and flew slowly over the island, searching for any sign of the stranger. When they reached the camp site the fire had burned out and ambers were cooling. Drago stormed through the camp, picking it apart in search of the identity of the man. He found food and clothing, the normal things found at any camp but what made his pulse race was very familiar black leather armor with the Hooligan crest on one shoulder. He took it and shoved it under the nose of each tracker dragon.

"Find him," he snarled, climbing back on his dragon. He paused before moving forward. "Do not engage and stay out of sight. I will deal with him."

"Yes, sir!"

They set off again, keeping to the woods or flying high enough above to not be noticed right away unless their quarry was looking up. While the island wasn't very large there were many forests, hills and mountains that made it difficult to spot someone right away and it was sheer luck that Drago spotted the exact person he was searching for above a waterfall in a small clearing. It was just as his men said, a young dark hair man with a tiny green dragon. It was definitely the young Hooligan chief there was no doubt about that. No Viking Drago had ever dealt with was built so small. And luck was with him. Hiccup was so involved in whatever he was doing he did not notice the dragons.

Gesturing to his followers they landed on the cliffs above the young man and crept out of sight. Drago watched for a moment or two as Hiccup walked toward a large pine tree. "Send in the bait," he ordered, watching with intrigue as one of the dragons flew down to the clearing without its riders.

It landed almost directly behind Hiccup, making the young chief jump in surprise. Sharpshot gave a squeal of fear and flew into the trees while Hiccup whirled around. His chest tightened for a moment and then relaxed when he saw the dragon was simply sniffing the ground and seemingly meant no harm. He let out a breath and let his shoulders relax.

"Hey there," he said soothingly as he walked slowly toward the dragon, his hands up in a peaceful manner. "There's supposed to be no dragons on this island so what are you doing here?"

He smiled when the dragon let his touch him. His fingers ran over the rigid horns over the beast's chin and up over its muzzle, chuckling as they were sniffed, no doubt searching for a treat. This was no wild dragon. It was domesticated but by who? He frowned as he stared at the metal armor cover its head and shielding its eyes. There were a few tribes that armored their dragons but it wasn't really necessary. Dragons were born with their own type of armor and putting metal over their heads only hindered their flight abilities and threw off their balance. It was more torture than protection. It wasn't until the dragon bowed his head that Hiccup noticed the etched in emblem of Drago army. His breath hitched as he stepped away.

"Sharpshot, we're leaving," he called, looking around for the Terrible Terror but the little dragon was gone. Well he couldn't wait around. He left the armored dragon and made to go to the tree, hoping to retrieve whatever his friends put in it but there was now a man draped in polar bear fur and another dragon like the first standing in his way. He looked back to the armor dragon and there were two more men in similar fur and more dragons. "Okay…" he whispered to himself, stepping back as he reached for Inferno, thankful he had clipped the fire sword to its sheath. But before he could draw it he was hit with something sharp hit him on the side of the neck. Another hit his shoulder and a third went in the opposite arm.

Almost immediately Hiccup's sight blurred. He blinked rapidly and stumbled back, feeling suddenly light headed and faint. He grasped at the little red feathers sticking out of his arms and managed to yank one out before falling to his knees. Darkness crept in from the edges of his vision but before he finally succumbed to the toxin of the darts he saw Drago stroll toward him, a sick twisted grin on his scarred face.

"The Dragon Master is mine," the warlord declared victoriously.

Then darkness consumed Hiccup as Drago reached out for him.


	17. Chapter 17

Beyond Valhalla 17

"Uh…" Hiccup murmured, pressing a hand to his head. He felt sluggish and disoriented, as if he had let Snotlout and Tuffnut talk him into a late night of drinking again that turned into some stupid competition that he protested against yet joined in…again. Yeah, that usually ended up in a lecture from his father or more recently his mother.

His fingers curled around the fabric under him then slowly relaxed. He had to get up. He wasn't safe here, but he couldn't remember why. Everything was a blur but he knew he had to go. He needed to get a hold of the riders and get off the island. But trying to get up was next to impossible and he slumped back down, too exhausted to do much else. He heard voice all around him, none of which sounded familiar or even friendly. Enemies… Drago! He had to get up. He had…

"Uh…" he murmured again, his hand fisting the fabric beneath him. This time he forced himself to get up, regardless of how shaky his knees were of how his body trembled. His prosthetic creaked in protest but it held which meant his attackers were either planning to kill him or didn't see him as enough of a threat…especially without Toothless. Maybe they were right. He could barely stand.

"He's awake!" someone yelled.

Hiccup glanced in that direction but all he saw were blurred figures, dark images moving toward him. He raised a hand to ward them off but it did no good. Hands grabbed his arms and forced him to his knees. A large hand grabbed his chin and made him look up but all Hiccup saw was a dark silhouette, far larger than the others and very frightening.

"One dart would have sufficed," snarled Drago's familiar silky voice, the deep rumble dark and sending chills down Hiccup's spine. "He's useless to me like this."

"Whatever it is you want I won't do it," Hiccup slurred before cringing at the sound of his own voice. Yeah, the whole drunk scenario seemed really fitting at the moment. He tried straightening his back and looking defiant but his body refused to agree and before he knew it he blacked out and slumped forward.

Drago frowned as the young man pitched forward. He glared at Ayrin in annoyance. "It may take hours for him to awaken again. Ready the men. He may be alone now but his riders will no doubt coming looking for him sooner or later."

"What do you want us to do with him, sir?" Ayrin asked, ready to haul Hiccup off to the brig on the flag ship but like before Drago surprised him with his unusual demand.

"Put him back on the roll," the warlord growled as he stood. "I'll stand guard this time."

The men looked at each other but knew better than to argue. They lay Hiccup on the roll that had been set out for him and then left him under the watchful eye of their leader.

Drago waited until they left before settling himself on a large log. A small camp fire was all that was between him and the young Berkian chief and it gave him a rare chance to study the boy. He was so unlike his father. He was thin and small with narrow shoulders and long gangly limbs. As the Vikings would say, he was a walking fishbone. Yet he was clever and cunning and had gained the respect of not only his tribe but numerous others. There were whispers of him on other islands, those you spoke of a Dragon Conqueror or Master, things he dismissed when he first came to the Archipelago then banished it entirely when he first met Hiccup. Now he wasn't so sure. Hiccup and his army of dragons and warriors had beaten back his forces seven times now. Some of the battles were close but each time the boy's Nightfury had led the charge and forced the Bewilderbeast back and chased the men away with mild casualties. Hiccup had a no kill policy and if he could not capture Drago's men he would make sure they had a good scared before letting them go and sitting on the back of an enraged Nightfury fully in full armor, battle mask and enough weapons to make a Berserker happy was definitely the way to go. Of course Drago had seen worse. But that wasn't what intrigued him about Hiccup it was the way he would switch from Norse to Dragonese with such ease it was as if it was second nature. It was as if he was part dragon and that had got Drago thinking. Maybe this Hiccup was a Dragon Master no simply for befriending dragons as he obviously had a great love for them but because somehow in some strange way he was one of them and this was destiny. This was the dragon he was to master and make his. And once Hiccup was his the Nightfury was sure to follow.

The little chieftain awoke again nearly an hour later this time less groggy or disoriented but cautious and confused and more than a little angry. He sat on the roll and stared at Drago for long time in silence, apparently at a loss for words. Drago met his stare but said nothing either, waiting for the youth to break and sure enough he didn't have to wait long.

"What do you want?" Hiccup asked bluntly, not caring if he was rude or not. He had been drugged, his vacation interrupted and dragged to Thor only knew what side of the island they were on. But when Drago didn't answer he shifted, ready to bolt should the man make a move against him. He wasn't sure how far he would get, his body still felt strange and shaky. "I'm guessing you're not here to camp…or maybe you are," he corrected himself when he noticed the vast city of tents that was erected all around them.

"The drugs have made your mind a little slow. Your head will clear in a few hours," Drago answered, his voice a low purr. He leaned his good arm over his knees and leaned forward just a little to inspect Hiccup some more. "You are much smaller than I first thought. In the old days one like you would have been left to the elements at birth for the Gods to decide your fate but something tells me your parents were too kind hearted to allow that to happen to you."

A little taken back but not overly surprise Hiccup only shrugged his slim shoulders. "Yeah, people like to remind me of that a lot yet here I am chief of my entire tribe. Guess the Gods just couldn't make up their minds on which way to screw me."

For a moment Drago seemed completely perplexed by the boy's answer. He expected Hiccup to be insulted, enraged even but not to shrug it off as if it meant nothing. Very surprising…very surprising indeed. "So this fact has been pointed out to you."

Hiccup gave a snort. "Like every day of my life since I could walk. Luckily I finally got the height so it's not all bad." He studied the warlord for a moment in silence while Drago did the same to him. "There must be a better reason for not killing me than insulting me about my size," he said, shifting his weight to his good leg. All he needed was an opening, one opening and he would run as fast as his legs could carry him. He wasn't a fool, he knew he could never fight Drago or his men on his own. He might be an accomplished swordfighter and pretty good at hand to hand combat but there was a good thousand to one, probably more. A part of him really wished Toothless was with him, but another, the part that was still crippled by his father's death, was happy the Nightfury wasn't there for fear that maybe the Bewilderbeast might take control of him again and turn him against those he loved.

Drago watched him carefully, taking in his every move. "Well, I had considered torturing you but I doubt you would survive the things I can do to your body. Something tells me your body would break before your spirit, judging by how you came after that Nightfury and the way you fight for your village. You are far more than meet the eye."

Hiccup shifted a little more. "Thanks."

"Don't bother trying to run. I have men all around us willing to take you down the moment you try to take off. More than three darts can be fatal for a human, let alone one as sma…built like you," Drago said. He sat back, his dark eyes roaming over Hiccup's slight frame. Even awake he looked so small without his armor, as if he might snap in half. But it was obvious the boy wasn't one to give up and was ready to run should the opportunity arise. "We got off on the wrong start," Drago coaxed, trying to appear less threatening. "Let's speak, one chief to another."

"Ah…alright," Hiccup answered, looking around nervously. He had no weapons and no real escape. Not yet at least. Maybe if he sat and listened to this madman he would find a way to exploit him and end this war before more lives were lost. Perhaps he could even free the Bewilderbeast and stop Drago from creating a dragon army.

He slowly stood and sat on a log a few feet behind him and tried to look strong and confident even though he felt small and afraid. Of course this wasn't the first time he had to face down an enemy much larger and stronger than himself. "Okay…then speak."

"Ah…you are your father's child. Very blunt, very to the point," Drago hummed in admiration. "Let me ask you a question; did a dragon take your leg?"

Surprised, Hiccup raised his leg and looked at the prosthetic that had pretty much become a part of him over the last six years. "Well it was sort of a combination of two dragons." He gave a little laugh and grinned. "I still say it was payback though."

Confusion filled Drago's scarred face. "Surely you feel anger to the one that did it."

"No," Hiccup answered, not understanding why he should be angry. "He saved my life. Losing part of a leg is minor compared to losing your life I would think. Besides, I gained a best friend out of it all." He didn't add the fact his tribe had also looked to accept him for who he was and he got to be with the girl of his dreams. "Okay…my turn. How did you lose your arm? I know it had something to do with dragons but…he bit his inner cheek to keep from saying more.

"Ah…do you know why are no other Nightfuries?"

Hiccup's chest tightened in sudden fear but he shook his head, needing to know the answer as much as he needed air to breathe.

Drago smiled thinly and learned forward as if to share an important secret. "When I was a boy the skies were filled with Nightfuries. They would block out the moon and stars when on the hunt. They rarely attacked villages preferring to hunt for fish and staying secluded but one day that all changed. They attacked numerous villages, wiping out entire populations and tearing into their victims." He waited for Hiccup to take this in and smirked at the horror on the boy's face. "I survived. I pulled myself out of the ashes, wounded and left for dead. And I hunted them down, each and every last one of them and made them pay for the deaths of those I loved. Obviously I missed one."

"Toothless…" Hiccup breathed, his chest tight.

"I must have missed an egg." Drago shrugged and looked away.

"I won't let you hurt him," the Hooligan chief said hurriedly, getting to his feet.

"Easy, boy, I could care less about one lone Nightfury. He's the last of his kind and when he dies, they all die."

Hiccup was definitely happy Toothless was safe on Berk. "Then what do you want?" he bit out. "If not Toothless then…"

"You," Dragon answered simply. "You have a unique talent, Hiccup. I've heard you talk to the dragons, whisper to them. You can speak their language. That can be useful to me."

Hiccup's brows furrowed. "Let me get this straight. First you try to have my best friend kill me then you attack my island repeatedly and now you want me to work for you? How crazy do I look? I'm pretty sure those drugs are still running though my system and I'm not at my best but I am still not stupid enough to give up everything I believe in for you."

"No," the warlord purred, leaning in closer. "You'll do it to insure these dragons are not harmed."

That left the young chief speechless. He stared at Drago in horror but he had seen the way the man had tortured the dragons he captured, how he would personally beat them and terrorize them until they did his bidding. Drago was not a man that should be allowed near dragons. He didn't help those that were injured but would kill them as they were of no use to him any longer. And suddenly all Hiccup could think of was Toothless mindless under that madman's control, of what would have happened if his tailfin had given out before Hiccup had gotten to him. Oh how his world may have crashed around him completely if he had lost both his father and his best friend that fateful day. And right then and there he knew that he couldn't give into Drago. He would free these dragons and fight Drago with every last fiber of his being before he let the man attack Berk or any other tribe. Even if it meant sacrificing himself.

. . .

Stoick inhaled sharply. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. Toothless was grumbling, too, as if sensing something not quite right. "We need find him, Toothless," Stoick whispered, his hand on the dragon's head. It was unlikely Hiccup would be at the campsite now that it was late in the morning. The riders would have been to the island sooner if there wasn't some confusion and an endless amount of questions about Astrid's condition since she wasn't due for another month. Now they were nearly to the island and an uneasy feeling at settled over Stoick and Toothless, an old feeling of impending danger as if going to war to battle an enemy far greater than the forces he had. He gnawed at his heart and made the scar over his side and chest burn once more. Hiccup was in trouble. Somehow he knew it. He could feel it and hear it as if the Valkyries themselves were talking to him. His boy was no longer safe. "We need to find him now."


	18. Chapter 18

Beyond Valhalla 18

"Wait, why am I just hearing about this now?" demanded Ruffnut as she and Tuffnut flew on their Zippleback. Her blue gaze was hard as she glared at Snotlout. "I mean it's not as if you couldn't have told me yesterday morning or anything. It ain't important or anything, huh? Just Hiccup's Dad coming back from the dead and oh…no one bothered to mention that little tidbit to Hiccup before sending him off on vacation?"

"That's the part upsetting you?" Fishlegs asked in confusion. The fact that Stoick was back was a bit of a shocker, especially with how young he now was but now that he knew the truth he could see Stoick in this younger version and wondered why he never had before, and as such Fishlegs was able to fall in line with no problems what so ever.

Snotlout flew next to Ruffnut and looked a little flustered by Ruffnut's reaction to the news. "Yesterday all I knew was that Valka was supposed to be having a fling with Stephan and I told you about that."

Her eyes narrowed. "Uh huh, and you didn't think to get me when Astrid went into labor?"

He opened his mouth to answer but caught Tuffnut's confused look and sighed. He promised not to let anyone know about his relationship with Ruffnut until she was ready…if she was ever going to be ready. "It was kind of sudden and well…look I can't be everywhere at once. I'm not Hiccup!"

She rolled her eyes. "Obviously," she grumbled. "Let's get some air, Barf."

"She still hates you!" Tuffnut sang with a snicker as he flew by.

Snotlout only sighed again as he watched the love of his life fly away with her brother. "Yeah, what else is new?" he mumbled to himself. He shook off his anxiety over his questionable relationship and guided Hookfang to fly next to Toothless. The Nightfury scented the air and looked at Hookfang nervously as he bleated softly. Hookfang sniffed the air as well and gave a low growl. Snotlout watched the two carefully then glanced at the other dragons, each sniffing the air. Barf and Belch began clicking softly to each other while Meatlug began hanging back regardless of how much Fishlegs assured her everything was okay. "Something's not right," Snotlout informed Stoick. "The dragons only get this ansty when the Bewilderbeast is close."

The former chief glanced at the dragons around him. "Can the beast still control them?"

"Not when they're close to Toothless," Snotlout explained. "He's their Alpha."

And indeed Toothless took charge the moment he saw Meatlug pulling out of the pack. He growled and bleated until the Gronkle fell in line and flew next to him where he could watch over her. Stoick watched this interaction with great interest. Toothless was always a strong and caring dragon and led the Berk dragons many times while he was chief but this new authority he had made even Hookfang bow to him without question. A lot had changed, Stoick realized in shock, especially when a blue glow began to emit from his forehead and his frills began to split about.

"What in Odin's beard?" he gasped leaning back in the saddle.

"Oh boy…" Fishlegs whispered nervously, fidgeting with the handles of his saddle. "Not good, not good at all."

Toothless's greengage eyes swept over the ocean then ahead toward the quickly approaching island. They narrowed to near slits and he gave a roar filled with obvious rage. The other dragons dropped back to flank him causing their riders to cry out in objection. Stoick glanced back at Snotlout who looked just as befuddled as he felt.

"What exactly is going on?" Stoick demanded when Toothless refused to listen to his commands.

Snotlout wasn't even fighting with his dragon he was leaning forward and trying to peer past Toothless's wings to the island beyond. "My guess is the Bewilderbeast is close by…which means Hiccup may be in trouble." He gave a laugh. "Which would be nothing new, I guess."

Stoick gave a nod. It seemed trouble had a way of finding Hiccup regardless where he was. The boy was a magnet for a trouble. He placed a hand back on Toothless's head, just over the strange glow and felt the rumble of power. "Find him, Toothless."

The Nightfury gave a snort and then shock his head before putting on a burst of speed the others struggled to keep up to. Toothless was on a mission now and nothing was going to keep him from his brother.

. . .

Hiccup was silent as he took in everything Drago said. It was the most words the man had ever spoke to him and while he hated Drago he sort of felt for him. Sort of. The man was also a murderer and was the cause of his father's death. There was no excuse for that. No reasoning and no way Hiccup could ever forgive him. If it was self-defense maybe Hiccup could find it in his heart to forgive the man but Drago was not defenseless and had decided to make an example out of Hiccup by using the Bewilderbeast to take control of Toothless and turn him into a weapon. His Dad died saving him from his best friend.

Yet Hiccup didn't feel the rage he should have. He felt empty and unable to move. Drago's words no longer seem to matter as he stared at the fire. It was an odd feeling. One moment he was ready to run and free to armored dragons the next completely drained. At least that tingling feeling was gone. Maybe it was the drug in the darts finally moving out of his system. He stared at the fire between him and the warlord, his fingers steepled as he tried to focus.

"Do we have an understanding?" Drago asked, his voice a soft purr and oddly seductive. "You help tame my dragons and I leave Berk and all you riders in peace. Hiccup?"

"Hm… Oh!" He looked up and blinked a few times. "Sorry, my mind's a little fuzzy." His brows bunched and he frowned at himself. Why did he just apologize to this monster? Inhaling slowly he met Drago's gaze. Of he would have had a familiar black form not appeared in the sky. "Toothless?" he whispered softly.

"I told you, I have no interest in your precious Nightfury," Drago growled but his eyes widened in surprise as Hiccup stood, his gaze skyward.

"DRAGON RIDERS!" the cry went out as one by one the trapper's turned their weapons toward the dragons closing in on them. The armored dragons began growling and pawing the ground, eager to take to the sky while their handlers held them back by chains.

Drago stood, a dark chuckle on his lips as he turned to face the approaching dragons. "Ah…there he is."

Yeah, he had no interest in Toothless at all, thought Hiccup as he rolled his eyes. He quickly glanced at the trappers who had been guarding him to make sure they were effectively distracted then darted as quickly and quietly as his metal foot would allow around the fire toward Drago. "Well there's my ride. I'll take these, thanks." He snatched his fire sword and broke into a full blown run.

"STOP HIM!" Drago bellowed, grabbing his bullhook. "BRING HIM TO BACK OR END HIS LIFE! DO NOT LET HIM LEAVE THIS ISLAND ALIVE!"

The trappers snapped to attention and redirected their weapons at the fleeing Hooligan chief. But despite his disability it didn't hinder him and he was able to cover enough space to be out of the range of their blow darts. He reached the cliff while the trappers were distracted. Not looking back he leapt off the edge and shoved his arms through the straps hanging off his trousers. With one yank his wings extended and rather than free falling he was now gliding. Problem was the cliff wasn't very high and there was a whole army of trappers below him.

"Hiccup!" Stephan yelled from atop Toothless. His hand was stretched out toward Hiccup as Toothless speed toward his partner.

Hiccup angled toward them as he soared over the heads of the Trapper toward to open sea. Or so it seemed. The sea bubbled and anchor ships were suddenly lifted as the Bewilderbeast exploded from the water. The air gust upward, taking Hiccup with it. It took several seconds to right himself. Without his armor and the fin attached to the back he could keep steady.

"Okay…" he breathed as he aimed for Toothless again. "Toothless!"

The Nightfury blasted at the leviathan, trying to give Hiccup cover fire knowing that the higher his rider was the safer and longer he could glide but upon hearing Hiccup's voice he reared up and raced toward him once more. Stephan held on tight with one hand while he reached out with the other for Hiccup. "Hiccup! Take my hand!" he yelled as they neared the youth.

Surprised Hiccup reached out for the other man, not sure exactly how he was supposed to land on his best friend's back with another person on his, especially one the size of Stephan. The older man would have to guide him in. He adjusted his angle as he got closer. "Come on, come on," he whispered.

The gods were not with him.

Everything happened so fast that Toothless barely had a chance to let out a cry of warning. A cold unlike anything Hiccup every felt before blasted all around him but this time rather than being thrown higher in the air he was knocked back toward the cliffs and far from Toothless. Luckily – maybe – a tree got between him and the rock wall. It tore his wings and knocked the air out of him but he was able to latch onto a branch before falling to the ground and that was a miracle in itself. Every inch of him felt icy cold and even his fingers felt numb. He sat on the large branch for several long minutes, his body trembling as he tried to understand what just happened.

The answer was obvious even if his mind wasn't ready to accept it yet. The Bewilderbeast had blown his icy breath at them in warning, perhaps the only warning it would give them before attempting to kill them. Nonetheless Hiccup turned his focus away from the huge dragon to see what happened to Toothless and Stephan. "Tooth? Stephan?" he yelled out. A small amount of relief filled him when he spotted Snotlout and the others pulled them out of the water and onto shore a safe distance behind the lagoon the Bewilderbeast and Drago's army were shored and out of the Bewilderbeast's immediate sight. Of course the large dragon was slowly turning to see where the new Alpha had vanished too.

"No! Hey, hey, over here!" Hiccup yelled to the beast as he carefully stood on the branch. He whistled as loud as he could before yelling again this time in Dragonese. "HEY! COME ON! I MAY BE SMALL BUT I'M A WORLD OF TROUBLE."

The Bewilderbeast paused and gave him a cursory look before moving once more after Toothless.

Hiccup was near panic now. If Toothless's tail was damaged of Stephan severely injured they wouldn't be able to escape the monster. Even with his vast new power if Toothless was cornered he might not survive let alone be able to protect his pack and their riders.

Grasping Inferno he lit the fire sword and began waving it about as he screamed at the tops of his lungs, imitating Dragon's yells and snarls and mixing it with the Dragonese dialect he knew. This time he cursed and threatened as Drago would, anything to make the Bewilderbeast stop and turn its attention to him.

It worked.

The large creature lumbered back a step or two and considered him, for the first time really looking at him. It was like looking into the gaze of the Screaming Death only much, much larger. Taking a deep breath Hiccup deactivated the sword and slowly raised a hand. "Easy there, big guy. I mean no harm…well okay, we have fought a few times but that's neither of our fault and I'm sure you don't mean to hurt people, do you?"

The dragon just stared at him. It gave a snort and then slowly opened its mouth.

"Oh no…" Hiccup's eyes widened and he barely had a chance to jump out of the tree before a wave of cold, colder than before. It stung like a thousand knives slicing into him all at once but it was too cold to scream. His breath was stolen from him moments before his world turned the sparking blue and white of an eternal winter.

. . .

Stoick wiped the water from his face as he stepped on shore. It would have been okay if Toothless didn't come up next to him and decide to shake the water off him and all over the former chief. "Toothless…" he began to reprimand but stop when it spotted Hiccup in the tree only a few hundred feet away. His chest twisted. It was like the day he died all over again but this time the Bewilderbeast didn't have Toothless doing it's and Drago's dirty work, it was doing it itself. "Hiccup!" he cried as he began running through the swallow water toward him.

Hiccup was yelling at the creature, drawing it toward him. What was he thinking? Why was he trying to do? "Hiccup, stop!" Stoick bellowed.

Another blast of cold made him come to a standstill. When Stoick looked up once more the land before him had changed. There were no more sandy beaches or sparse grass with tree leading up to the cliffs. All that remained now was ice and splintered wood and no trace of his son.

Stoick stumbled back in shock. "Hiccup…"


	19. Chapter 19

Beyond Valhalla 19

Astrid cringed as she tried to bite back another scream. Her mother pressed a wet cloth to her brow as Gothi pressed a hand to her belly. The contractions were closer now, less than a minute about and the older women were whispering about the baby coming any minute now but Astrid refused to let that happen. She tried to hold the infant inside her but she could feel him moving downward. "No…" she whispered, his hands balling into fists.

Gothi glanced up at her pained and sweaty face then to Phlegma and gave a small nod.

Phlegma sighed and wiped the cool clothe down her daughter's sweaty brow to her neck. "It's time, Astrid. He can't wait any longer."

The girl shook her head. "No…no…it's too soon. Hiccup's not here."

"I know, baby," her mother said gently. "He'll be here soon."

Valka looked away from her window where she had been keeping watch for her son. A knot in the bit of her stomach told her something was terribly wrong and she knew that even if all was good, no matter how fast Toothless flew, Hiccup would not make it in time for his son's birth. Nonetheless she gave her daughter-in-law a reassuring smile. "Did I ever tell you that Stoick was gone to war when Hiccup was born?" she asked as she strolled toward the bed. Her smile grew when Astrid met her gaze. "Ah…you are so lucky. Hiccup was born in the heart of a winter storm, the coldest day of that year. A bad omen some would say, and nearly a month early just like this babe. He was so tiny we all feared for his life. But he proved to be much stronger than I ever hoped." She waited for Astrid to take this all end. "You have the son of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third in your belly and a month early or not he will be just as strong and stubborn of his father and grandfather. And considering the size of his grandfather this may be Odin's blessing letting him come early."

A tiny grin adorned Astrid's face at the jab at Stoick's size before she cringed. "Okay…okay…let's get this little Haddock out of me," she groaned, her hands knotting in the bed sheets. "When his daddy gets home…I'm kicking his scrawny ass, then…ow…Snotlout's and…ah…Stoick's! Shit…shit…shit…shit…shit!"

"In Stoick's case I'll hold him down," Valka offered. "I'll have Gobber and Spitelout help me."

Phlegma chuckled. "Me, too," she offered. "Now push, sweetheart. Push."

Astrid did as she was instructed until the pain became so intense she screamed.

. . .

It was cold, unbearably cold but somehow, by some miracle he had survived. Well, if you could call it surviving. Hiccup had jumped out of the tree when the Bewilderbeast let loose its ice breath. It was sheer luck that he didn't break a leg when he landed and managed to stumble between two boulders just a heartbeat before the tree he had been in exploded into a mass of splinters and ice and a second later the rest of the world around him was covered in ice.

He kept low to the ground and his back pressed to one boulder as the ice formed all around him. Ice spread across the ground, moving differently from before, more concentrated as if the dragon wasn't taken any chances. Hiccup shuffled his feet back and pressed his knees to his chest as the ground froze around him until finally it stopped.

It all happened so fast, so very, very fast. Hiccup let out a shuddery breath and uncurled, or tried. He was trapped. All around him was ice and shards of wood. The boulders he had been fortunate to fall between had sheltered him but they also trapped him. He was in an air pocket amongst all the ice, ice so thick he couldn't even see through to the outside world.

"No! No, no, no, no, no…" he moaned, crawling across the limited space toward where he was sure Toothless would be. He pressed a hand against the ice then quickly yanked it back as if burned. The ice was so cold it hurt to touch it. "Toothless? TOOTHLESS! Come on, bud, where are you?"

He glanced around frantically, trying to stay logical even as his heart raced. There were only a few inches between his head and the top of the ice and was maybe two feet wide by seven feet long, the same height and length of the boulders he had been sheltered between. Either way he had a very limited air supply and if he didn't suffocate he was going to freeze to death. Thumping his head against the boulder he closed his heads. "Great, just great. Some vacation, Snotlout."

. . .

The riders all stumbled back in surprise when Toothless roared at the other dragons. He gave a few nasty sounding warbles and snarls before his pack took to the air and left the riders behind.

"What's going on?" Fishlegs cried, reaching out for his dragon. "Meatlug, what's wrong girl?"

Snotlout watched for a moment but he didn't bother asking. He knew what was going on, exactly what Hiccup had planned in case the Bewilderbeast returned. "They're moving out of the Bewilderbeast's range," he explained to the worried riders. "It's for all our safety. Now let's move. Hiccup's in that ice somewhere." He didn't wait for the others and ran after Stoick and Toothless as the dragon looped through the water.

When the Bewilderbeast began to turn in search of Toothless, Snotlout gave a yell for Toothless to dive under the water. For a moment the Nightfury refused, ready to battle the leviathan but did so with the reasoning that he was no good to Hiccup dead. Snotlout kept running, knowing the dragon would pop up as soon as it was safe for everyone. The Bewilderbeast seemed to have no care for anyone other than Hiccup and Toothless which was a good thing because running through water was not good when there was an ice breather nearby that could freeze it.

Stoick was already on shore and at what looked like an explosion of ice and he was yelling for Hiccup as he slashed at the ice with his axe. Snotlout reached around to pull his mace from his belt when Fishlegs grabbed his arm.

"No! Stop! Stoick, stop," the large man yelled, letting Snotlout go to stop their former chief. When Stoick gave him an annoyed look he quickly explained. "Look at the way the ice is formed. If you so much as crack it here that whole structure might come down crashing on his head. That's assuming he's still alive and ah…he wouldn't be here anyway, sir. This is where the trees were and he jumped that way so with the force of the Bewilderbeast's breath and the length of his stride I would say Hiccup landed…" He began moving in the direction he thought Hiccup might be. "Over here." He removed his fur cloak to protect his hand and began wiping at the ice, hoping to be able to see inside. All he saw was a swirl of shadows.

"Fine, we'll start there," Stoick snapped, pushing Fishlegs aside to chop there.

Snotlout and the twins grabbed their weapons, ready to break through the ice.

"Wait!" Fishlegs yelled again, this time Eret standing next to him. "That won't work."

"There's not enough time to cut through the ice," Eret pointed out. "If Hiccup's in there he may have an air pocket but that's limited. We might have minutes at most. We need to melt the ice…without Drago or the Alpha noticing."

Stoick met his gaze, frowning deeply. He looked toward the Bewilderbeast but seemed too busy looking for Toothless. He hesitated, not wanting to draw the beast's attention on what they were doing but he had only precious minutes to save his son and he needed Toothless to do that. Keeping a close eye on the huge dragon he gave a low Nightfury howl, hoping Toothless could hear him.

Precious seconds ticked by as the riders moved around the ice trying to get a precise location on Hiccup. It felt like an eternity before Tuffnut called out.

"Here! He's over here!" the male twin yelled have entered a small alcove ten feet away from where Stoick originally tried breaking the ice and about fifteen in from Fishleg's spot. Tuffnut was using his vest to wipe at the ice. The others clambered over ice and debris to get to him. It was the perfect location, hidden from both the Bewilderbeast and Drago by the way the ice moved upward like a wave over the tree remains and rocks.

Inside the ice Tuffnut was rubbing at was movement. It wasn't a lot but enough to prove something was alive inside and judging by the shape and relative size there was no question in Stoick's mind it was Hiccup. He gave the Nightfury cry one more time before abandoning hope on Toothless and focusing entirely on his son, although he did send a pray to Odin that the dragon was still alive.

He raised his axe, planning to try breaking the ice again but he was quickly stopped by a blast of plasma that knocked him and the others off their feet. It landed just before the ice and while extremely hot and deadly it wasn't enough to melt the ice all at once. Obviously the result was no what the dragon wanted as Toothless opened his mouth wide to fire again.

"NO!" screamed Fishlegs, all but tackling the Nightfury to the ground. "Slow burn. We need a slow burn or it'll all come down on him."

Toothless gave a soft distraught moan but didn't shoot again. He lumbered up to the icy prison his best friend was trapped in and pressed his forehead against it with another warbling moan.

Snotlout patted his flank. "We'll get him out, Tooth," he assured, although he was beginning to wonder if it would be in time.

"Slow burn," Stoick instructed as he touched the Nightfury's shoulder. "Let's try heating the ground until we have a big enough opening for one of us to get to him."

Toothless nodded and began heating up the ground with his flame, careful not to hit the ice directly and crack it. If he were inside and wrapped protectively around his brother then it would be different, he could use his full power to escape the ice but being on the outside meant he had to be very careful.

Stoick watched the proceedings for a few moments before kneeling next to the ice, away from where Toothless and the riders worked diligently on melting the ice. Where the ice had melted from the first blast it was almost clear and he could see inside…and he didn't like what he was seeing. He placed a large hand on the ice. "Hiccup…hold on, son," he said, anxious to get to his boy off the island as quickly as possible. "Just a little longer."

. . .

The air was growing thin and the panic Hiccup was feeling was becoming all consuming. At first he thought Toothless would find him and managed to keep calm but as the seconds ticked by he began to fear not for himself but for Toothless who must be fighting the Bewilderbeast on his own because as good a rider as Stephan was he didn't know Toothless as well as Hiccup did. Taking Inferno Hiccup removed the gas cartridges and began bashing on the ice, hoping to chip it away. It barely made a crack and soon Hiccup was panting, the cold air stinging his lungs. But he could see movement outside the ice, just shadows but they were human.

Drago's men, he thought, shifting back desperately. He blinked away the frost on his lashes and glanced toward the gas cartridges and wondering if he could protect himself with his sword in such a confine space. The only problem was if he ignited the flame it might eat up the last of the air or the gas might fill the enclosed space or… His mind was starting to feel numb and ears cold. A shiver rocked his whole body.

A sudden blast rocked the whole ice structure, causing Hiccup to jump in sudden fear, half expecting Drago to have knocked the wall down and reach in for him instead he saw a familiar purple glow.

Relief flooded the young chief as he moved closer to the wall of ice. It wasn't broken but he could see outside a little better and there was no mistaking Toothless's large form pacing back and forth and spilling plasma along the other side of the ice wall. "Toothless…" he breathed happily, pounding the ice wall in hopes of getting his friend's attention. "I'm here…I'm right here." He gasped softly, his chest hurting as the air seemed to become thinner. His eye sight blurred and he was certain he was seeing things when another familiar large figure appeared. Now he knew he was seeing things or maybe this was what it looked like to face Valhalla. "Dad?" he whispered, placing his hand over the large hand on the other side of the ice. Tears rolled down his cheeks, freezing midway and pressed his forehead against the ice, no longer caring about the cold. "I'm so sorry, Dad. I failed. I'm not the chief you wanted me to be."

His eyes closed, his chest feeling as if it was in a vice. He felt faint now and with a sigh he leaned against the ice, trying to keep a hand over the shadow of his father's until his eyes closed and his mind went completely numb. He slumped against the ice until he slowly slipped to the icy ground unconscious and gasping for breath.

. . .

When Hiccup's lithe form fell Stoick's heart nearly stopped. He glanced toward Toothless, his fear turning to anger. "What's taking so long?" he snapped without thinking.

"It's not his fault," Fishlegs said quickly, coming to Toothless's defense while Snotlout soothed the dragon and encouraged him to continue heating the ice slowly. "The Bewilderbeast's ice isn't like normal ice. It resists heat but if we try and break it…"

Enraged, Stoick threw up his hand and stomped his foot. His mind raced to come up with a way to save his only child. "We can't break it and it won't melt faster then how do we get my boy out of it before he suffocates?"

Fishlegs shook his head, looking just as worried.

"Wait!" Snotlout called from the other side of Toothless. He stood and looked over the dragon to his uncle and friend. "We've got an opening. It's small but it'll have to do."

"How small?" Stoick demanded, storming around Toothless to see. He gave the Nightfury an apologetic pat before kneeling next to Snotlout and peering at the opening. "That's small."

The opening was barely a foot and a half high and maybe two feet wide at best. Whoever was going in was going on their belly. He looked toward Ruffnut, the only one he was sure could possibly fit but to his surprise it was Tuffnut removing his helmet and handing it to his sister.

"I can wiggle in there," the male twin announced as he got down on his knees. He poked his head in and looked around. "Besides, I'm the only one with any decent medical trying. I can do a quick assessment and then decide how to move him."

It was strangely logical coming from Tuffnut and well thought out rather than his usual craziness.

"You're going to need something to move him," Ruffnut advised as she worried her lower lip. She glanced around, trying to keep track of where the Trappers were. "And you might want to get a move on 'cause Drago's men are making their way down the cliff. Uh…and the Bewilderbeast is still looking for Toothless so…yeah, can we grab the chief and go?"

Right now they were sheltered by the slope of the ice that had torn up the trees and towered above them but it wouldn't hide them for long. The steam caused by Toothless's plasma breath melting the ice no doubt alerted the Trappers and Bewilderbeast's to their location. They had only a matter of minutes left if they were lucky. They had to get Hiccup out now regardless of his condition.

Tuffnut slipped into the ice cavern, keeping low and reaching out for Hiccup's unconscious form. He grasped his chief's good left and slowly moved up his body, patting gently and talking to him as he usually would. He got no response from Hiccup, not that he expected to but that didn't stop him from making sure there was no serious injuries on his leader before calling out to the others that he was going to pull Hiccup out by the feet.

"Okay, Hiccup, this might hurt a bit but I can't do anything in here," he explained even if Hiccup couldn't answer. "I'm going to get you out and get you warm and then we're home where there's a really awesome surprise waiting for you. Not like this vacation surprise but one that you'll actually enjoy. I think. I don't know. I hear there's a lot of crying involved so maybe not." He babbled on as he got to Hiccup's legs and then to his belly and slowly backed out of the cavern to join the others. He carefully pulled Hiccup with him until they were both in fresh air.

Stoick scooped Hiccup into his arms as if he were still just a little boy and immediately pressed his ear to his son's chest. "He's alive," he breathed happily before reaching for Toothless and pulled him by the harness to join them, not that he needed to. Toothless was already leaning down to check on his little brother and best friend but he happily leaned into the two and warbled.

"Well that's great and all but we need to get out of here. Drago's not known for taking prisoners," Eret said, also keeping point and watching for approaching enemy. "And he's not above torture."

"Alright," Stoick said, standing with Hiccup in his arms. "There's a cave not far from here. It leads to the other side of the alcove and a direct shipping route. Do you think you can wrangle a ship?"

The former Trapper stared at him in shock before grinning. "I once was a pirate before a Trapper. I'll get us a ship."

"Good. Ruffnut go with him."

The girl glanced at Snotlout who only nodded. "We'll catch up," he promised.

She hesitated a moment longer, her gaze not leaving Snotlout's then she gave a curt nod and playfully slapped the helmet she's been holding back on her brother's head with a grin then took off after Eret.

Tuffnut righted his helmet then glared after her. "What was that all about?" he asked in confusion, giving Snotlout a suspicious look.

Fishlegs looked at Snotlout as well with a hint of jealousy.

"Nothing," Snotlout said firmly, going to Stoick. "We need to get Hiccup warmed up. If we can get inland there's a few hot springs."

Stoick shook his head. "No time. Toothless will have to…" He paused at the sound of Drago's bellowing voice. He looked in the direction of the noise. Drago's forces were getting close.

"Dad?" Hiccup murmured, shocking everyone.

It made Stoick smile, certain that his boy recognized him now that he was held against his father's chest and heard the familiar heartbeat and smelt his scent. There was always some instinct in a child that recognized their parent no matter how they may have changed. "Yes, Hiccup. It's me. I'm here."

Bright green eyes met deep emerald but Hiccup didn't smile as he usually would when his father held him. He looked resigned to his fate. "You came for me."

Not understanding Stoick tried to look reassuring. "Of course."

Hiccup only stared up at him before closing his eyes and shivering uncontrollably. His body curled against his father's, as if he were a small child and Stoick couldn't help but chuckle and hold him a little tighter, actually missing when the boy was little and not quite so lanky. He would have loved to hold his son like this a little longer but Drago was screaming in outrage now, yelling not only at his men but also the Bewilderbeast and while his words were muffled one thing was clear, he wanted Hiccup and that was not going to happen.

"Fishlegs," Stoick called the scholar of the group. The large blonde hurried over and gently took Hiccup from him. "Follow the cave just like I told Eret and Ruffnut, a few hundred feet in there's a pool. It's not as warm as the hot springs but it might be enough to warm him. If that doesn't work and there's enough time find a safe alcove and have Toothless up with him, then send Tuffnut ahead to see where the ship is."

"And if there isn't?" Fishlegs questioned, his voice wavering slightly in fear.

"Then we carry him the whole way," Snotlout said firmly as Tuffnut ducked under one of Hiccup's arms to help Fishlegs maneuver him. "Worse comes to worse we'll tie him to his saddle and send Toothless ahead. He can shield Hiccup in the dark."

It wasn't the best plan but Stoick nodded. He was reluctant to let his son go but no matter what Hiccup was still the pride of Berk and the tribe needed him if it was to survive. "Alright. Go. Stay hidden and keep him calm when he wakes up. He'll have tons of questions and might try to run back here after me. Don't let him."

Snotlout's brows bunched. "Where are you going?" he asked, momentarily forgetting he was talking to Stoick the Vast and not a young warrior named Stephan.

But Stoick gave it no mind as he picked up his axe. His gaze flicked away to Toothless and he knelt before his son's most faithful companion. "Protect my son, old friend…and my grand baby."

The Nightfury warbled in agreement before pressing against him.

"I'll be alright. Just get them out of here and Hiccup home safe to Astrid." Stoick shook his head with another little chuckle. Of all the dragons on Berk Toothless was the only one he talked to as if he were another child, another son. His second son. Because as far as he was concern, Hiccup and Toothless were more than rider and dragon, more than best friends. They were brothers and both Stoick's son's regardless what may have happened that fateful day Stoick died. He patted Toothless's shoulder. "Go, lead the way and get them home."

He stepped away, his axe held firmly in his hand, and took one last look at his son. He knew now why the Valkyries sent him back, why they had made him like this and given him back his youth. He had been a great warrior for many years but age had begun to catch up with him. Now he was young and stronger and faster. Better yet, Drago wasn't expecting him.

"Stoick!" Snotlout demanded before stepping back as he suddenly remembered just who he was talking to.

His uncle glanced at him. "To put an end to this," he said simply before darting off and leaving them to care for Hiccup. It was time to put an end to Drago Bludvist once and for all.


	20. Chapter 20

Beyond Valhalla 20

Pain…excoriating, unspeakable pain raced up and down Astrid's spine but it couldn't be worse than the searing agony filling her hips and pelvis. It was the most pain she felt in her entire life. Her arm didn't even hurt this bad when she broke it. It was hard not to scream as the contractions came one after another, one barely ending before the next one hit making it one endless agony that made her vision nearly bleed white as she held her knees and pushed. But even as her concentration was solely on delivering her baby a small part of her was cursing Hiccup for not being there to hold her through this. He was her rock just as she was his and even though she was the warrior of the two right now she was terrified and really, really wanted her man.

"I can see the head!" Plegma announced excitedly from between her daughter's legs. "Another push, Astrid. The babe's almost here."

The girl took a deep breath, unsure if she could continue. She looked up in surprise when Valka sat next to her and placed one hand on knee and the other on her back.

"It's okay, honey. Push when I say," the woman said with a gentle smile. "Now."

Astrid pulled her knees to her chest and pushed while Valka held her close. It hurt. It hurt so much. She screamed. It seemed endless but suddenly there was a second, one much louder and much more frightened and scared and suddenly the pain no longer mattered. Astrid dropped her legs, not caring about the mess between them, and stared in a mixture of shock and awe at the wiggling infant in her mother's arms. Her chest tightened and tears not of pain came to her eyes.

"Oh wow…" she breathed as the pain ebbed and curiosity took over.

Gothi took the crying infant in one arm and smiled gently as she marked him as Hiccup's heir with tribal paint – Hiccup's paint to be exact. The child calmed almost instantly and stared up at her with big teal green eyes. The Elder's smile grew fond as she carried the infant to Astrid and presented him with a flourish, bowing ever so slightly to Astrid.

Valka stepped back to give Astrid room. "She says congratulations. Behold the heir of a chief."

"A boy," Astrid said happily. It didn't matter if she had a boy of girl as long as the child was healthy but she knew…she knew she was carrying a little boy and judging by the red hair that adorn her child's head he was definitely a Haddock and going to take after his father in just about every way. "You're going to be a little trouble maker and lady killer, just like your Daddy," she cooed as she brought him to her breast.

Phlegma smiled proudly at her daughter as she deposed of the placenta and bloodied towels. Now if only their chief made it home to see their new born babe.

. . .

"Toothless, lead the way," Snotlout instructed as they neared the cave. He stayed at the back of the line, his fingers flexing over the shaft of his mace as he kept a close on their backs. Drago's men weren't too far behind and with Hiccup still unconscious and having to be carried around they would never make in through the tunnel fast enough to meet up with Ruffnut and Eret. Assuming they weren't ambushed on the other side. He really didn't like Ruffnut being with Eret. He liked the guy well enough but he didn't trust him with his girl even if Eret said he had no interest in her.

"You know for someone so lanky Hiccup can be pretty heavy," Tuffnut grumbled as he adjusted his hold around his friend.

"It's the metal foot," Snotlout shot back in exasperation, noting what side Tuffnut was on then down to the foot in question. "It's dragging. You need to switch sides and keep it off the ground. 'Legs?"

"Yeah, I got him," Fishlegs answered as he took Hiccup in both arms while Tuffnut moved to take Hiccup's other side. They quickly resettled Hiccup between them but the problem with the metal foot remained. The reason of course was that Hiccup was two inches taller than his two friends so Fishlegs grabbed Hiccup's belt and yanked him up those few inches needed to keep the foot off the ground.

Tuffnut winced. "We do want him having more kids, right?"

Snotlout shrugged. "One mini Hiccup running around Berk is good enough," he joked, walking backwards. "But if he complains it's all Fishlegs's fault."

"Hey!"

"Okay…plans on how were supposed to see in the cave?" Tuffnut asked as they neared the cave. "Toothless can use echo location but what are we supposed to do, hang onto his tail?"

"No, we use this." Snotlout held up Hiccup's fire sword for the other's to see before thrusting it away from his body and igniting it. The blade shot out, coated in dragon saliva then a lit up, flaming brightly. It was more than enough to light their way. He handed it to Fishlegs. "Okay, Toothless, the rest is up to you."

The Nightfury glanced back, noting the flaming sword with a frown then turned toward Hiccup. His brother was still unconscious and not looking well. They had to get him off the island as soon as possible and if that meant using as ship, which Toothless hated more than anything, then so be it. He let loose a sonic scream and waited a few moments for it to bounce back. He gave the riders a warble before leading them through the tunnels. It was a long twisting route that was going to take a while for them to get through. Time they didn't have.

. . .

"Find him! The boy's here somewhere!" Drago bellowed, standing on a sheet of ice and searching for any sign of Hiccup. A few months ago he would have cheered at the thought of the young chieftain being frozen in ice but after numerous battles against Hiccup he had learned the boy was indeed a Dragon Master. And Drago had use for someone with such talent. He was even willing to go as far as let that accursed Nightfury live if he could make Hiccup his. "Bring him to me!"

His men scurried over and around the ice searching for the young man. What they found made many run the other way.

Stoick gave a blood curdling battle cry that would frighten just about any enemy and those foolish enough to stand in his way met with the sharp blade of his axe. He plowed through them, discarding each without a care as he focused on his true target. It didn't take long before Drago realized just what was happening but by then Stoick was nearly on top of him.

He deflected Stoick's axe with his bullhook and twisted it around with a hard push. But Stoick was a Viking and walking on ice was second nature so rather than fall he pivoted and twisted, moving faster than he had in many, many years, and slammed his elbow between Drago's shoulder blades. Drago gave a roar of pain and surprise and slipped on the ice to fall over the edge and onto the sand below.

Stoick followed him, his axe raised and ready. "It's not enough that you've tried enslaving the Archipelago but you continue to target my son?" he snarled, remembering what Gobber had said about the many attacks on Berk since his death. He slashed at Drago's his axe coming down over and over again on the bullhook until the other man managed to kick him away.

Drago gave a snort. "Son? You must be mistaken. But you…you I'll gladly kill." He stepped back and twisted the bullhook, causing it to whine softly.

Stoick chuckled. "Never could fight your own battles, eh old man? Always have to call a dragon to defend you."

The warlord's eyes widened in outrage. "How dare you!" he snarled, swinging wildly at the young man but Stoick dodged easily and deflected each blow. "Just who do you think you are, boy?"

Boy? That felt a little odd. Last person to call him boy was Mildew and that was a long, long time ago. But rather than feel insulted Stoick felt enlightened. He had the body, speed and vitality of a young man but the fighting skills of a seasoned warrior and he used it to his greatest advantage. "Your worst nightmare," he purred with a grin before charging forward.

. . .

A clattering of rocks made the riders stop in their tracks. Toothless gave a low growl and moved to get between the boys and whoever was coming up behind them but Snotlout shook his head. "Keep going. The pool isn't much further," he said soothingly but he glanced behind him. He wasn't sure but Drago's men were at least a minute or two behind them, five max. If they didn't get to the pool soon and get Hiccup up on his own feet he'd have no choice but to tie his cousin to his saddle if only to free everyone's hands to fight.

Thankfully Toothless agreed with him and continued forward. Sure enough after only another turn or two they came to the hot spring Stoick had been talking about. They moved toward it quickly. Snotlout went in first and had the others pass Hiccup to him and very carefully lowered him into the water.

"Hide," he told Fishlegs and Tuffnut. "And keep quite. Toothless…" He gave a gasp as the ebony dragon waded into the water with him and Hiccup. "Okay, you stay."

Hiccup gave a start when he came to, the warm water causing his chilled muscles to cramp for a moment before slowly relaxing. Still the shock of it left him shaking and sputtering and momentarily thrashing. He nearly screamed when a hand went over his mouth.

"Shh…sh…it's okay, it's me," Snotlout whispered in his ear, holding him close as the sound of approaching footsteps got closer. "We're in a bit of trouble so stay quiet."

"T…Toothless…" Hiccup stuttered as a chill ran down the length of his spine despite the hot water. He gave a happy cry when his best friend pushed at his side and nuzzled his head.

Snotlout immediately grabbed the dragons harness and pulled him closer as if he needed to. Toothless was more than happy to cuddle up with Hiccup and check him over. "Don't move, you're sloshing the water," Snotlout chastised. He kept an arm around his cousin, not trusting him to be able to stand on his own just yet. He fell silent as the clumping of feet became louder and was more than a little appreciative when Toothless wrapped his wings around him and Hiccup, blending them in with the darkness.

They waited silently as the footsteps hurried past, both riders holding their breath until the Hunters were well passed them and further down the tunnel.

"Stay here," Snotlout whispered to Hiccup before glancing up at Toothless. "Keep him here." He slowly climbed out of the water and called to Fishlegs and Tuffnut. While they were not the quietest of Vikings they did manage to take the men by surprise and knock them unconscious after a little scuffle that left Fishlegs with a deep gash to one arm and various scrapes and bruises on the other two. "Toothless, it's clear!" Snotlout yelled to the Nightfury.

Toothless's head darted up and he sniffed the air. There were no other humans in the tunnel. He could only hear the three riders stomping around and the scents were those of his friends and the men that were just taken down. As far as he could tell they were safe…for now. He nosed Hiccup and gestured for him to get on his back where he could protect him. It took a moment but Hiccup came to his senses and grabbed the saddle. He quickly climbed up before leaning down and hugging Toothless tightly.

"I missed you, bud," he said gently, still a little confused by the situation. "Did you have without me?"

The dragon gave a lowly whine and lifted his head in an attempt to nuzzle him and Hiccup pressed his cheek against it with a small smile. "Yeah, I feel the same."

"Are you two coming or what?" Snotlout snapped. "We've got a ship to catch."

"Ship?" Hiccup called back in confusion as Toothless hurried to catch up with the riders.

"We weren't sure if you'd wake up so Eret and Ruffnut went ahead to commandeer a ship," Snotlout explained, holding one of the Hunters' torchers before him as they hurried through the tunnel. "Well that and Toothless sent all the dragons away. I'm guessing ten to twenty miles off shore to be safe. He'll probably call them back as soon as we're a safe distance, too."

Hiccup shook his head. "No. We need to put a stop to Drago now. If we don't fight him here he'll just attack Berk again and we might not survive another attack," Hiccup objected.

"Fight him with what?" his cousin countered, stopping to glare at him. "Hiccup, Toothless is the only dragon we have right now. He might be able to fight the Bewilderbeast's hold now but he's still only one dragon less than a tenth its size. And Drago has an army. We have seven warriors…well six and a peace keeper."

"Hilarious," Hiccup grumbled with a roll of his eyes.

"Point is, we're out numbered and out weaponed. With luck Sto…Stephan will give us the distraction we need." Snotlout looked away, unable to tell Hiccup the truth about Stoick. Not just yet. If he told Hiccup that his father was alive and presently battling Drago he'd go charging after him…if he even believed it was possible. No, he knew his cousin and Hiccup had a tendency to believe in the impossible otherwise there would be no peace between Vikings and dragons let alone Dragon Riders. He'd get himself killed trying to reach Stoick.

Hiccup glanced over his shoulder and for one frightening moment Snotlout was certain the young chief would bolt. "Be better be careful."

"He will be. This isn't the first time he fought Drago," Snotlout assured as they walked into the light at the end of the cave. "Guess our ride's not ready yet."

They stepped out onto a sandy beach but there was no ship waiting for them. There were ships, many of them, all war ships and all armed to the teeth. Thankfully none of them had taken notice of them yet. The riders shuffled back into the darkness and kept watch, each hoping that Eret and Ruffnut were safe.

. . .

"Do you even know what you're doing?" Ruffnut questioned, crouching behind a boulder as Eret surveyed the ships.

The former Trapper eyed each ship, looking for one in particular. "Of course I do!" he said, with growing excitement. "I was once a pirate, you know."

"Uh huh." She had begun to doubt a lot of his stories after their brief relationship.

"And there's our ship. Stay close to me."

She rolled her eyes but followed, her short sword held tightly in one hand and bolas hanging from the other. She kept low and looked around, keeping watch for their enemies and any that might try to get the drop on them. Being stealthy was actually one of her strong suits. It was how she and Tuffnut usually got away with the chaos they caused on Berk. Eret was good but on more than one occasion she had to grab him and yank him back as a ship got too close to their position. "Don't move," she ordered, grabbing his bicep. She cringed a moment later. She liked his biceps. Nope, not going there…again.

Eret didn't pull away as he used to. He just watched the ship as it slowly approached. As it passed his smile grew. "That's mine," he told Ruffnut, pulling free and taking her bolas. "Come on." Racing after the ship he threw the bolas, keeping the end of the coil of rope wrapped around one hand. It snagged the mast, wrapping securely around it. With his other hand he reached for Ruffnut but the girl was faster and grabbed the rope, shimming up as fast as a seasoned sailor. Impressed he followed suit then climbed over the rail and onto the deck.

The welcoming was less becoming as the Trappers whipped around with weapons drawn. Of course Ruffnut being in an attack pose with her sword in front of her and looking absolutely feral might have had something to do with it.

"Hello, lads!" Eret greeted his former companions with cheer as he gestured for Ruffnut to lower her weapon.

"Eret, son of Eret?" one said, dropping his crossbow in shock.

Eret grinned as the others slowly lowered their weapons, men who had known him since his youth, and stared at him with wide eyes. Then there was a series of chattering as they all began asking him questions at once, not one of them turning against him even though he had been gone so long. In fact they were more curious than angry. After all he had been kidnapped and disappeared for nearly a year with no word on whether or not he was killed. All they had was what Drago told them when they dared ask him about him.

"Did they hurt you?" one asked.

"Were you tortured?" another asked.

Ruffnut followed in confusion, pulling back only when one of the strange men tried touching her or taking her sword which she happily brandished to make them keep their distance.

"We're having a slight change of course, boys," Eret called out, taking the helm.

"Sir?" the first asked again. "What about Drago?"

Eret took the sailors in fully expecting a mutiny at his next words. "We no longer work for Drago. Now prepare for incoming injured. Warm blankets and dressings. We have at least one suffering from hypothermia and Gods only know how many much trouble the others got into." He sighed and looked at Ruffnut as she watched the Trappers wearily, her long fingers flexing over the hilt of her sword. "My quarters can be converted into an infirmary for now."

The men all stared at him as if had lost his mind but they had wanted to leave Drago's services for many years and it was about time Eret stood up to the tyrant. "We're with you, Eret," the boson said with a nod. "You heard him, lad. Get those blankets together and grab the med kit. Let's start setting up. Any dragons to concern ourselves with, sir?"

"Just one. And he'll probably need shelter," Eret admitted. "We need him kept out of Drago's sight."

"Yes, sir."

Grinning, Eret glanced at Ruffnut. "See, everything's going to be just fine."

Her gaze met his but it was full of doubt. "It better be," she muttered as she sheathed her sword.

It wasn't long before the ship came to the beach where the tunnel was, a quarter mile from where Eret and Ruffnut took back his ship. Snotlout waved to them as they approached but the ship had to stay out due to the water being too shallow there. It didn't matter, the young man stepped out and looked back and forth in search of enemies. Seeing none he waved the others forward.

"Okay, you two can fly so you're first. We'll catch up," he told Hiccup, relieved when he saw Ruffnut safely aboard the ship.

Hiccup hesitated. "Toothless can carry two at a time. We can ferry each of you to the ship," he offered and Toothless warbled, more than happy to get his friends off the island and back to Berk.

Snotlout frowned at the two of them then sighed. "Fine, take Fishlegs. Thor knows he sucks at swimming more than you."

"Hey!" Fishlegs objected. "I can swim, I just don't like to." Regardless he climbed up behind Hiccup and grabbed the edge of the saddle, afraid he might hurt his chief since no one knew just how bad his injuries might be. "Okay, slowly now. No fury right now, okay, Toothless?"

Hiccup smiled and petted Toothless's head. "Let's go, bud."

As usual Fishlegs let out a cry as Toothless took to the air like bolt and raced from the shore to the ship in a matter of seconds. It took longer for the blonde to climb off then for the dragon to fly. "Okay…okay, I'm okay. Be better once we meet up with Meatlug," he muttered as he wobbled on the deck.

"We'll be right back," Hiccup promised, ignoring the chill still coursing through him. He shivered slightly as he and Toothless flew back to gather Tuffnut and Snotlout. They had already made their way half way to the ship and chest deep in water. Toothless got as low as he dared go and reached out.

"Tuffnut!" Snotlout yelled. "Take Tuffnut. I'm the stronger swimmer."

"Are not!" Tuffnut snapped but didn't object when Toothless grabbed him.

Hiccup reached down for Snotlout's hand. "Come on, Toothless can carry you both."

His cousin only shook his head with a laugh. "If I take your hand I'll drag you in the water and you're wet enough as is. I can make it the rest of the way."

Yelling from the island drew all their attention.

"Snotlout, we've got to go now," Hiccup insisted, reaching out for his cousin once more. Come on!"

"I can climb up to the saddle," Tuffnut offered, his voice filled with worry.

"Get going!" Snotlout yelled, diving under the water in an attempt to make the others go without him.

Hiccup fumbled for a moment, his hand grasping as Snotlout disappeared under the water. "Snotlout!" he yelled but it did no good. Snotlout was gone and now ahead of them. Which was a good thing as arrows began raining down and just missing them. "Tuffnut, hold on tight."

"Like I've got a choice!" the male twin yelled back as Toothless made a hasty retreat to the ship.

Tuffnut stumbled when Toothless dropped him on the deck and quickly ducked down as the arrows began firing at the ship. Everyone was taking cover as Drago's men realized what was going on. "Hiccup, get down!" he yelled but Hiccup was stubborn as ever as he climbed off Toothless and grabbed the rope ladder Ruffnut had thrown over to help them get aboard.

Hiccup leapt over the edge and braced his feet against the wooden side as he held on with one hand. He tried to make himself as small a target as possible as he searched the water for Snotlout. It felt like forever before Snotlout's head popped out of the water and he reached up to clasp Hiccup's hand, this time willingly taking it. Fishlegs grabbed Hiccup's other arm and with Tuffnut hauled the two aboard. The four tumbled to the deck in a tangle of limps and relieved laughter.

Snotlout gave a laugh as he pulled himself free and leaned against the wall. His smiled smugly at his friends for their narrow escape. All because… He frowned as he looked down at himself. "Well this just ruins my day," he grumbled. There was an arrow sticking out of his side. Not a long one from a long bow but a thick dart buried deep.

The laughter of his friends died and Hiccup looked up stared at him in utter horror.


	21. Chapter 21

Beyond Valhalla 21

A scream filled the hut as Astrid pushed. She held her knees tightly as he gave one last push before falling back with an exhausted cry. For several long seconds there was nothing but silence and then a tiny cry which grew into full blown wails.

Phlegma smiled gently as she laid a small bundle into her daughter's arms. "A boy," she whispered before Astrid could ask. "A strong, healthy little boy."

"Just like his Daddy," Astrid grinned, pressing her lips into beautiful auburn hair. She held the babe to her breast and watched him in complete adoration. If only Hiccup were there to see him.

. . .

Hiccup's world narrowed to one single point and it was as if his whole world was crashing on him all over again…except it wasn't his father, it was Snotlout, his annoying overbearing cousin...the closest thing to a brother he ever had. For a moment he was frozen in place staring at the end feathers of the arrow gutting out of Snotlout's stomach. It was like losing his Dad all over again but inside of charred flesh there was an arrow and…

Snotlout's chest and stomach rose and he gave a little laugh. "Breathe, Hiccup. You're starting to go pale."

The young chief blinked and came to his senses. "Snotlout!" he gasped, racing toward his cousin as the older man tried to move. "Stay still. There's still arrows hitting the ship. You don't need another one in you."

"Har, har…when you get so hilarious?"

"According to Dagur always," Hiccup retorted but he wasn't into making jokes at the moment. He fumbled once he got a good look at Snotlout's wound. "This is bad…this is really, really bad. Tuff, bring the med kit. Ruff, we need towels…lots of towels. I don't…I don't think we can pull this out without causing more damage."

Tuffnut hurriedly rummaged through Toothless's saddle bags where Hiccup always kept an emergency med kit since he couldn't access his own which was presently with Barf and Belch. His heart was racing almost as much as Hiccup's must have been. Sure members of their group have been hurt before while on one adventure or another but that was usually the odd bump or scrap, sprain or broken bone, none had anything truly life threatening before. Not until Stoick that is. His hands shook slightly as he remembered that and thought of having to actually send Snotlout to Valhalla. Sure they joked and teased but since losing Stoick they never joked like that anymore.

"Ruffnut, you got those towels?" he asked as he stood back. He glanced over his shoulder at his twin but the girl was exactly where he had left her, staring wide-eyed and dumbfounded at Snotlout and Hiccup as if unable to move. "Ruff? Hey, Ruff, you okay?" He shook his head when she didn't answer and hurried to Hiccup's side at about the same time Eret did.

"Let's get him to my quarters. We can lay him down and decide where to go from there," Eret offered, pressing a thick towel to Snoutlot's stomach and making the rider wince in pain.

"I'm fine," Snotlout insisted, trying to pull away but he was pinned between the three men and the wall behind him. "It's nothing. Just pull it out and be done with it."

"You can bleed to death," Hiccup chastised as he took the towel from Eret and bunched it around the shaft of the arrow. He kept firm pressure on the wound. "Now no sudden movements. Tuff, can you feel around and see just how bad it is? Maybe we can break the shaft and push the head through." His voice trembled slightly in fear.

Tuffnut felt around Snotlout's stomach and side, silently hoping that the arrow had missed his vital organs and was close to the surface, going toward his side more. Keeping his eyes closed Tuffnut relied more on his sense of touch. What he found made him frown. "We need to get him to Gobber and Gothi. I…I can't fix this."

"There's nothing to fix. It's just a scrape," Snotlout objected but his attention wasn't on any of the men fussing over his. His gaze was on Ruffnut and he smiled reassuringly at her. "I'll be fine."

"Not if we can't stop this bleeding," Tuffnut grumbled, taking the cloth from Hiccup when he saw his chief's hands shaking more than his own. "Hiccup, you're in shock. Get under some furs and next to Toothless until the shakes stop."

"I'm fine," Hiccup said sternly, still fussing over his cousin.

"Uh huh, that's what he keeps saying. Go warm up. We're out of shooting range."

Eret took Hiccup's arm and pulled him to his feet. "Come, lad. Last thing Astrid needs is you coming home sick. She'll have my hide and honestly that girl scares me more than Drago some days."

The young chief shook his arm free. "I'm fine. Snotlout's the one who everyone should be worrying about." He yelped when the former Trapper swiped his bad leg out from under him so that he toppled onto Toothless who happily caught him and curled around him. "Toothless!" he whined as he was all but cocooned by limps, wings and tail. "Worse than a mother hen."

Eret chuckled and scratched the content dragon's head. "Good boy. Keep him out of trouble for a few hours." He stepped back as the Tuffnut and Fishlegs helped Snotlout toward his quarters. "At least we're out of firing range."

Fishlegs stopped, causing the other two to come to a halt. "Ahh…arrow range maybe but not those."

All eyes turned toward the island and high cliffs. Sure enough there were catapults being pushed into place as well as odd looking metal tube like things that made the ship's crew and Eret panic. "Oh shit!" Eret cursed. "Turnabout! Get as much distance between us and the island as possible! This is not the way I was planning to meet up with Stoick."

"Uh?" Hiccup asked, giving the man a strange look before dismissing Eret's outburst as him meaning he didn't want to die too, turning his attention to the weapons being aimed at them. "Are those the cannons you told me about?"

"Yeah," Eret confirmed. "And guess how much of the black powder is stuffed in each."

Snotlout didn't want to guess, he'd seen what the stuff could do when Eret demonstrated it to the gain but that was a little bit compared to what Drago's men must have. He winced as the arrow in his side rubbed against his muscles. "Fishlegs, I can make it the rest of the way with Tuffnut. Go help Hiccup. I think it be safer if everyone is moved below deck…maybe. Ow…just…on second thought keep an eye on Ruffnut. I think she's in shock."

The larger man's mouth opened in a silent "O" of surprise, as if he had forgotten about the girl. He hesitated. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Yeah," Snotlout insisted, placing a hand over his wound to keep the clothes in place. "Take care of her, okay?"

It sounded a little confusing but Fishlegs gave a slow nod. "Okay." He waited a moment longer to make sure Tuffnut got Snotlout safely into the cabin before hurrying to Ruffnut who looked lost and could only stare at the cabin after her brother and injured friend. He placed his large hand on her slim shoulders. "Come on. You and Hiccup should be down below where it's safe."

"I'm staying right here," she said firmly but she didn't shrug him off as he usually would, instead she squeezed his hands and he returned the gesture.

"He's going to be okay," he assured. "Snotlout's too stubborn to go to Valhalla. Besides, he didn't see the five signs yet."

"Neither did Stoick," she whispered, a quiver to her voice.

He only squeezed her hands a little tighter.

. . .

It was a game of cat and mouse. One moment Drago had the upper hand the next Stoick. But Stoick had one advantage Drago had not counted on. He used the pillars of ice to his advantage. It was like the training mazes used in the arena before it was changed into the Dragon Academy. But rather than have a dragon chasing after them it sheltered Stoick from the Bewilderbeast, keeping him out of sight and the creature from assisting its master. Of course Drago was not above tricks of his own. Even with one arm he would scramble up rocks and ice to get the high ground and on more than one occasion managed to get the drop on Stoick. Drago was strong and skilled and more than capable of holding his own and a battle Stoick use used to taking only minutes was dragging own much longer than he was accustomed to. It must have been the same for Drago.

The dark foreigner had a sheen of sweat broken over his forehead and was breathing heavily. His dark flesh was marred with deep gashes and even darker bruises. His chest heaved as he clenched his bullhook. "We've fought before," he huffed as if realization was just dawning on him.

"Aye," Stoick agreed, twirling his axe as he eyed Drago. He waited for his opening, intent on finally doing away with this man. He should have killed him years ago before he became so powerful. He wasn't going to let Drago escape again.

"Sir!"

It was automatic. They both looked up toward the cliff and the man peering into the ice maze. Luckily the ice was angled in ways that kept Stoick sheltered so the man couldn't fire down at him and help his leader.

"What is it?" Drago demanded, turning his attention back to Stoick.

"We found the boy and the Nightfury. Eret son of Eret stole his ship and has them with him," the man reported.

Drago frowned. "Eret? Destroy the ship and bring the Dragon Master to me. Kill the rest."

"And the dragon?"

A sick grin lifted Drago's lips and his dark brown eyes bore into Stoick's green ones. "Skin it alive and make sure Hic-cup bears witness."

Stoick inhaled sharply, his eyes widening in surprise. "No…" he breathed, unable to believe anyone would be so cruel.

"Yes, sir!" the man yelled before darting off.

Not thinking twice Stoick slammed his axe into the ice and began climbing up out of the maze, using every hand hold and foot hold he could find until he reached rock and then the grassy lands above. Below him Drago watched him in amusement, chuckling darkly. "Run. Maybe you'll make it in time to die for him just like his father."

. . .

"Pull it out," Snotlout said as soon as the cabin door shut behind them. He pulled away from Tuffnut and leaned against the wall. "Just yank it out."

Tuffnut stared at him as if he had lost his mind before frowning and shaking his head. "Ah…a little thing about arrows: they go in easy but pulling them out is a lot more tricky and dangerous."

"Fine, push it through. I don't care. Get it out."

The medic in training sighed and folded his arms across his chest. "Snotlout, I can't. I didn't want to say anything in front of Hiccup but you're bleeding internally. If we leave it in we might be able to treat it when we reach Berk. If I remove it…you'll bleed to death." He looked at his feet and flexed his toes nervously. "I know you and Hiccup don't always get along but it'll kill him to lose you."

The older man gave a snort. "Hiccup is stronger than he looks. He'll be fine and so will I."

Tuffnut's gaze snapped back to him. "Are you deaf? This isn't a joke, Snotlout. It's not like those pranks I used to pull with Ruffnut. This is real. You're…you're dying. Like really dying. You're bleeding internally and the moment I remove the arrow you're bleed out as well."

"I know."

"And I can't fix you! I can't! I'm not good enough! I'm not Gobber…" Tuffnut raged, stomping his foot and waving a fist. "All I can do is slow the external bleeding and get you home and…"

"Tuff, I know," Snotlout repeated, taking Tuffnut shoulders in both hands to make him stand still. "I know I'm not going to make it back to Berk. It's okay. There's nothing you can do to help me. That's okay."

Tuffnut looked down at him with teary eyes. "But it's my job to fix you. That's why I became the group medic…that and Fishlegs faints at the sight of blood."

Snotlout laughed at that. "He did okay today."

The blonde shook his head. "I can't. I can't push it through. You could die in minutes."

"We'll burn it close to give me more time."

"More time for what?"

"To create a distraction and get everyone home safe."

"You're insane."

"Am not!" Snotlout objected, slightly offended and feeling a little lightheaded all of a sudden. "Look, get this thing out of me or your sister will."

Tuffnut gave a snort and stepped away. "She's crazy not insane."

There was a boom and sudden yells on deck that made both men jump in sudden surprise. The ship rocked dangerously and they were had to grab the walls for support.

"Missing the dragons!" Tuffnut yelled out to Toothless.

"We're not far enough from the Bewilderbeast," Snotlout groaned, holding his side. "Tuff, I'm asking you one last time to get this arrow out of me before I start playing dirty."

His friend rolled his eyes. "There's nothing you can do that Ruffnut hasn't already tried."

Snotlout stared at him for a heartbeat or two before frowning and glancing out the door toward Ruffnut. He gave a sigh. "I know she's a pain but promise to take care of her?"

Tuffnut looked up. "Huh?"

Taking a deep breath Snotlout turned back toward him and leaned against the wall. "Last chance to get this out."

Sighing, Tuffnut shook his head. "You'll bleed to death."

Snotlout grabbed a nearby torch and lit it with a smaller version of Hiccup's Inferno. "Burn the openings shut. It'll buy me some extra time."

"Minutes at best. Snotlout, I won't remove it."

They stared at each other for a few minutes. Snotlout's shoulders slumped. There was one sure way to get Tuffnut to do as he wanted. When they were little it was threats or promises but that wouldn't work this time so Snotlout had to resort to the one thing Tuffnut was most protective of. "She's a wild cat in the bed. Or dragon. We never really worked that out but for someone who hates me she sure likes to fuck."

For a moment Tuffnut stared at him as if he couldn't comprehend his words then his eyes narrowed in anger and the sudden need to protect his sister's honor overwhelmed him. He didn't say a word but grabbed the shaft of the arrow, snapped off the end – which made Snotlout cry out in agony – and shoved the arrow right through until the blade pierced through the skin of his back. Snotlout bit back a scream as tears rolled down his cheeks and he was more than thankful Hookfang wasn't there right now otherwise Tuffnut might not be standing right now. Another muffled cry escaped him when Tuffnut yanked up his shirt, took the torch and shoved the hot embers into the front opening of the wound.

"Bastard! Turn around," Tuffnut ordered, shoving him around so he could get to his back.

Snotlout did so but it hurt like hell and he was almost sure he was going to faint. He cringed and dug his fingers into the wooden wall as Tuffnut burned the exit would close. It felt like forever before the torch, flame doused, was pulled away from his back and discarded. Once it was his knees buckled and by some grace of the Gods Tuffnut caught him and helped him to a chair.

"Tell me you were lying," Tuffnut said in way of apology.

"I can't," Snotlout whispered but he offered his friend a smile. "I love her."

A conflicted look passed over Tuffnut face. He looked away from Snotlout then sighed and nodded. "I guess that's why she's been so secretive lately. I should have known she was up to something. You're my best friend, why didn't you tell me?"

"She wanted something all to herself."

Tuffnut nodded. He sort of understood that. All his life he had to share everything with his twin right down to their dragon. Sometimes it was nice to have something that was just his. But Snotlout had always been theirs; their friend, their favorite person to prank and torment. And now he was dying. Really dying.

Snotlout placed a hand on his arm and pulled away. "There's not much time. It's now or never."

"Now or never for what?"

"You'll see." Snotlout strolled out of the cabin with a sense of purpose, shutting out the pain as best he could and pretty much stumbling every few feet. He grinned at Ruffnut as he passed her and headed straight for Hiccup and Toothless, neither of which had gone below deck as he had insisted. That was actually a good thing. Hiccup seemed almost like himself again as he helped load and aim catapults.

"We'll give cover fire," he told Eret, moving to mount Toothless who was growing and spitting angrily at their enemies but unable to do anything to put a stop to the attack without taking to the air.

"That's what Drago wants," Eret advised from his place at another catapult. "We need to get more distance."

It was no secret that Drago had developed a keen interest in Hiccup since their first battles and Hiccup's skill with taming dragons became more and more apparent. Hiccup had made the mistake of actually speaking Dragonese in front of Drago once to calm a raging Timberjack. If the warlord wasn't interested in the Dragon Master he was then. He would destroy everything to get to Hiccup and no doubt that's exactly what his men were trying to do.

"If it's me Drago wants then…" Hiccup argued.

"Then we get you as far from here as possible by making him think you're somewhere else," Snotlout said, heading for Toothless. The Nighfury gave him a confused look. It wasn't often Snotlout went to him about anything.

"Wait. What are you talking about?" Hiccup demanded. He abandoned the catapult as his cousin checked over the harness. "You should be lying down. The arrow…Snotlout, where's the arrow?"

"Tuff removed it. I'm fine. Toothless, you want to help me distract those idiots away from the ship and give Hiccup a better chance to escape?"

That made the Nightfury's ears perk up and he raised his head regally and shook out his wings in his way of expressing his agreement.

"No," Hiccup said firmly, reaching for Toothless but his faithful companion, best friend and brother pulled away. "Toothless?" He smiled softly when Toothless nuzzled his face but it quickly faded when he was pushed toward Eret. "Wait…I don't understand."

Snotlout mounted the Nightfury, moving carefully to minimize the pain of injuries and to connect his boots in the metal stirrups to control the prosthetic tailfin. "We're just going to make them chase us for a bit and give you guys the time you need to get to a safe distance. When I get back we'll take. We have a lot to talk about but…if something happens you need to sit down with Stephan…he…" He wasn't sure how to tell Hiccup who Stephan really was. "There's something real important he needs to tell you." He gave Ruffnut one last look and tried to smile reassuringly at her and she slowly approached. He wanted to kiss her and promise everything would be okay. Maybe be a little sappy like Hiccup sometimes was with Astrid but that wasn't their style. Ruffnut would just poke fun at him and tease him. It was best to play it cool.

"Then you tell me," Hiccup demanded as he tried to gather Toothless's attention even as the dragon continued to pull away from him. "Snotlout, this is crazy. We need to stick together. You're in no shape to fly. Bud, let him down. We'll go out and distract them and…Toothless!"

Toothless flapped his wings and took to the air, Snotlout whooping in glee and crying out his signature war cry. Hiccup ran to the edge of the ship, unable to believe his eyes. It wasn't the first time the two had teamed up to protect him but usually it wasn't like this. It made him fearful for both his cousin and Toothless. He looked away from the two to Tuffnut as the team medic wandered toward him, looking slightly ashen and uncomfortable. That was never a good sign.

"He's okay, right?" Hiccup asked, his worry growing by the moment.

"Right?" Ruffnut demanded, grabbing her brother's arm and making him face her.

Normally he would shove her away but this time he met her eyes and there was a shimmer of tears in his bright blue eyes. He quickly blinked them away and nodded. "Yeah, he's fine. He'll be fine," he lied, his chest tight but he met each of their eyes without blinking. "He's going to be just fine."


	22. Chapter 22

Beyond Valhalla 22

He was lying. Tuffnut was lying straight to Hiccup's face and Hiccup finally snapped. "Turn the ship around!" he yelled to the helms man, pushing past his friend and heading toward the helm. "Turn around, we're going back!"

"What?" Tuffnut asked, his voice soft and still a little in shock of what Snotlout had just done.

Ruffnut shoved him into Fishlegs. "You heard the man, we're going back!" she yelled, following Hiccup and ready to defend his back should anyone not follow his orders.

"Back?" Eret asked in utter astonishment. "To that? We just got clear of the cannons and you want to go back?" He took a deep breath and tried to be calm with his young friend. "Hiccup, Snotlout made his choice. We have to get you back to Berk."

Hiccup met his gaze straight on and it was not a look Eret was used to seeing from the youth and he actually took a step back in surprise. "Turn this ship around or I will."

"Hiccup, we have to get to Berk," Fishlegs tried. He raised his hands as if calming a wild dragon. "Snotlout's not doing this just to be a hero…well he might be, but the real reason is because Astrid needs you. She's in labor. She's having the baby right now."

That gave Hiccup pause and his mouth hung open for a moment in shock. Astrid was in labor? She was having their child right at that moment, a month early and with him not home to help her? Panic filled him and he secretly hoped Fishlegs was wrong and that Astrid was just going through Braxton hicks and that she wasn't really giving birth so early in her pregnancy. The Gods only knew who the village would react to another runt being born into the tribe. Then he shook his head. He had been born early and looked down upon most of his life but he had proved everyone wrong and showed his worth. His child, premature or not, would do the same.

"Who's with her?" he demanded, this time looking to Tuffnut and knowing he would have been dragged along for her check up by Gobber.

The medic in training shuffled his feet and looked away. "Phlegma, Gothi and your mother."

Hiccup nodded. "Good. She's fine…so is the baby." He looked back at Eret. "Turn this tub around. Now."

Flabbergasted, Eret could only stare at him.

"Please, Eret. That's my best friend and my cousin out there," Hiccup pleaded, a little more softly but with the same amount of threat in his eyes. He'd take over the ship if he had to, any way he had to. Even if it meant destroying the friendship he had built with Eret.

Sighing, Eret gave a nod. "Turn us around. Keep as much distance between us and those cannons as possible and prepare the nets." He grinned at Hiccup and clapped a hand on his slim shoulder. "If he's anything like you we might need to throw a few nets over them to get them back on the ship. I hope Toothless isn't as hardheaded as you are."

"Sometimes he's worse," Hiccup joked, relieved that they were going after Snotlout and Toothless. "But not nearly as bad as Snotlout. Nets? Good idea. If you've got any of that knock out drug kicking around it might save us all a headache."

Eret only laughed. "Let's do this. It's a hit and run boys! Just like the old days. Nap the dragon and his rider and race out of here. Move!"

The sailors went running about to prepare to capture Toothless and Snotlout and get them safely back onto the ship while the helmsman did as Hiccup said. Hiccup watched Tuffnut as his friend shuffled about seemingly lost and not all there. "Tuffnut?" he asked, his voice low as he approached him. "How bad is Snotlout?"

The male twin looked to her sister but Ruffnut was ordering the men about and yelling for them to pick up speed as she watched Toothless and Snotlout draw the fire of the Trappers on them and away from the ship. Tuffnut looked at his feet nervously before meeting his chief's worried eyes. "I'm not sure. I'm not. He has internal bleeding and…I…I don't know if he'll make it to Berk in his condition. Definitely not with the arrow pull out or flying around like that. Maybe if we can catch him and keep him from moving about…" His voice trailed off as the other's approached.

"Go get some of those knock out darts from Eret and be ready to use them," Hiccup instructed.

Tuffnut hesitated. "Hiccup? I'm…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have removed the arrow. I should hit him over the head with something or…or… I just…I'm sorry."

Hiccup stared at him in surprise. Tuffnut never got this emotional about stuff, at least not the important stuff. Even when Stoick died, yeah he got teary eyed but not like this. "It's not your fault. We all know how Snotlout can be." He left Tuffnut to help Eret's men prepare Toothless's capture. That felt odd. He never thought he would have to try capturing Toothless again since the Bewilderbeast took control of him. Alright, he may have been coming up with traps and such just in case but they were back in his workshop and only in the blueprint stage. Considering Eret and his men have been capturing dragons with their nets for years that was sure to work with Toothless as well. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that and Toothless would listen to him.

. . .

Snotlout crowed in manic glee as he and Toothless swooped through the air, weaving between flying boulders and dropping toward the sea whenever they heard the boom of a cannon. Toothless's wings skimmed that surface of the water for a moment or two before the shot upward and returned their attack with one of his own and blasting at the cannons and catapults.

"Yeah! That a boy! Only a few more to go," Snotlout shouted. He gave a muffled gone when he pulled his injured muscles but otherwise kept silent. Although it was getting harder and harder to see straight and the pain was becoming unbearable he forced himself to continue and stay awake. "Just a few more and then we can go back to Hiccup and meet the new Haddock and…" His voice wavered and he pressed the butt of his hand against his brow.

Feeling the small tremors in Snotlout's body and hearing the pain in his voice, Toothless warbled a question, unsure if it was safe to continue battling in his condition. Snotlout only scratched between his frills and pushed forward with a hearty, "Snotlout! Snotlout! Snotlout! Oi! Oi! Oi!"

. . .

Being in a youthful body certainly came in handy. Stoick ran faster than he had in many years. He chased down the trappers, taking them down one at a time as he made his way to the cliff where they were supposedly battling Hiccup and the Dragon Riders. His heart raced and he searched the skied for a telltale streak of black and sonic cry that would lead him to his son. He listened carefully, waiting for any sign, any sign at all that would help him while bashing his way through the enemy.

Then he heard it, a boom so loud that it him back for a moment. It was a thousand times louder than the bang Eret had produced with the black powder and it shook the ground under his feet. He stumbled in his surprise and took a moment or two to regain his footing. Terror ate at his heart at the thought of what such weaponry could do to a dragon and rider, to his son who would always look for a peaceful way out of a situation and would only consider violence as a very last resort unless someone he loved was in danger. Stoick ran faster, unsure how he would stop the cannons but knowing somehow he had to.

As he crested the final hill before the cliff he saw them. They were out over the water, flying around in absurd circles as if trying to drawing the trappers' attention to them and keep it from the small ship below. Stoick was furious. Snotlout was supposed to keep Hiccup on that ship and get him to Berk. This was not part of the plan. When he got his hands on that boy…

He pushed that thought aside as he bashed and slashed his way through the men. Some had the foresight to yell a warning to their companions and try to stop him. But none of them had ever seen a Viking on a rampage or a father dead set on saving his son and not carrying who got in his way. That might have been his down fall. He was so intent on stopping the cannon that he failed to notice the catapults or enlarged crossbows with flaming arrowheads. He didn't pay them any mind whatsoever and that left his flank open. A large burly man managed to tackle him down. A cannon fired as he struggled with the man but not he was so close that not only did the ground shake but his whole head felt as if it would explode. He managed to get the man off him but could get up right away as his ears rung. He quickly covered them and rolled onto his side just in time to see one of those flaming arrows shot toward Toothless and Hiccup.

"NO!" he screamed, praying to Odin that its aim wasn't true.

It was a brilliant move. Toothless dodged the cannon fire with ease, moving out of the projectiles way at the sound of the boom, unfortunately he put himself directly in the path of the arrow. He moved to duck but the put his rider in danger. Stoick was unsure who it hit all it knew was that Toothless was falling and there were flames everywhere and a hideous scream of agony.

"HICCUP!"

Rage filled him and all he saw was red as he fought his way to the cliff and down to the waters below. He had to get to Hiccup. He had to get to Toothless. He had to save his boys.

. . .

"Toothless!" Hiccup screamed as the dragon fell to the water. Toothless was on fire! How could he be on fire? Dragons were fireproof on the outside. Then how… "SNOTLOUT!" He didn't think twice. They were close enough as far as he was concerned. He climbed onto the railing of the boat and without a second thought dove into the water after his cousin and best friend.

"Hiccup!" Eret yelled after him only to be pushed aside as Ruffnut and Tuffnut followed suit. He hesitated a moment before turning to his men. "Throw the nets. Give them something to grab onto and pull the injured up with." It was an old trick his father taught him to help retrieve injured sailors before drifting too far. "Let's move it, lads. We don't know the extent of the injuries."

The water was cooler than the pools on the island but that was not the first thing that came to the young chief's mind as he treaded water. He kept his eyes open as he looked underwater for Toothless and Snotlout. Toothless was easy enough to spot and he swam toward his partner as quickly as he could. The Nightfury look relieved when he spotted Hiccup as well and kicked his way toward him. Hiccup smiled happily. Toothless was fine. He gave his brother a quick hug as they both broke to the surface.

"It's okay…it's okay, bud. Go to the ship. I'll be right there…promise," he said, giving Toothless a shove in the right direction. Thankfully Tuffnut was there and took the dragon's harness while gently coaxing him toward the ship.

Hiccup didn't wait to see if Toothless would listen to the team medic. He dove back until the water and began searching for Snotlout along with Ruffnut. He had to be close to where Toothless went down. But Hiccup was frantic now. Snotlout was on fire. ON FIRE! And not in the good way he always joked about. He was literally on fire and had crashed into the sea atop a dragon or under depending how Toothless landed which looked to have been sideways. So he held his breath as long as he could as he swam deeper and deeper until he found a limp hand reaching upward. Hiccup wrapped his long fingers around the much thicker wrist and yanked and pulled until he had Snotlout moving upward. It was hard swimming holding on to another person, especially when Hiccup needed both arms. Nonetheless he kicked harder than he ever had before until his chest burned for air and his vision darkened. Then another set of hands were helping him, giving him the momentum to swim those last dozen feet to the surface.

They broke out of the water gasping, or at least two out of three did. And while that was worrying neither Ruffnut nor Hiccup said anything as they swam with Snotlout to the net and the waiting hands to help them up.

"Hiccup, Ruffnut, give him to me," Fishlegs called, using the netting as a ladder and reaching out for the two. He took Snotlout's wrist from Hiccup, made sure he had a good grip, then heaved Snotlout's limp body onto the ship without ceremony. He reached for Hiccup next as Ruffnut scrambled over the side of the boat and onto the deck.

Hiccup would have refused but he was a little short breathed and his metal foot kept tangling in the wet ropes. His fingers wrapped around his friend's thick wrist and held on tightly as he was hauled onto the ship. He mumbled a thank you before stumbling to Snotlout's inert body. It was an unreal sight. Not just Snotlout lying flat on the ground but the fact that his head was cradled on Ruffnut's lap and she was gently touching his face. One side of his face at least. The other side was burned pretty bad, covering his right eye and cheek to his ear and neck. The fur and armor he wore were either gone or melted and Hiccup briefly wondered just how hot the flames had been and what accelerant was on the arrows to cause so much damage in such a short time. But those thoughts were quickly put on the back burner as he knelt next to his cousin. His gaze met Ruffnut's as she held her fingers under Snotlout's nose. She didn't shake her head or say the words but her eyes closed and a single tear rolled down her cheek and Hiccup knew; they had lost another member of his family. He stared at her for a moment, unbelieving before lowering his ear to Snotlout's chest and listened very carefully, refusing to believe his cousin was gone. He waited silently, hoping, praying for a telltale thump. He waited a full minute with no luck.

"Okay…okay…" he said, thinking quickly. "Fishlegs, find something to elevate his legs. Ruffnut, keep his head still. Tuff, blankets. Lots of blankets." The last order was to make Tuffnut stop hovering over him. The male twin looked guilty and hurt and lost and so many things that it made Hiccup focus more on the situation at hand rather than his own emotions. Before, when it was his father it had been more personal, more about him. His father had saved him, just as Snotlout had, but it was more of a shock. He had been the first to reach his father, the first to see his body, to feel his once vibrant life fade away and watch as his mother verified his death. There was no saving him. But if he was quick, if he did it right like Gobber taught him, maybe, just maybe, he could save Snotlout.

Placing both hands on Snotlout's chest he began pumping. Up and down, up and down, as hard as he could, using his entire body weight. "Come on…come on, Lout. Breath you stubborn ass. Come on…" he muttered with each compression. He looked to Ruffnut, hoping for her to smile and say he was breathing but she didn't, she just looked…looked so unlike herself, almost ashen. It made Hiccup try harder. He paused only long enough to check for a heartbeat before switching tactics and literally punching on his cousin's chest. "Stupid son of a bitch! You promised! You swore after my Dad died to stay next to me! We were supposed to look out for each other no matter how nuts we drove each other! You promised!" he yelled as he landed blow after blow on Snotlout. "You said I'd never be alone!"

"Hiccup!" Ruffnut cried in shock and let Snotlout's head slid off her lap as she lounged for her chief. She wrapped her arms around him and pushed him back. "Stop! Stop…he's gone. He's gone, Hiccup." She held him close and waited for the tension to slip away from his body until he went limp against her. She wasn't usually the comforting type but she had seen how Hiccup had been after losing his father and having Toothless kidnapped. She couldn't bear seeing him go through such heartbreak again.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his hand going to her shoulder. Not quite a hug like he would give Astrid or his mother but close enough.

She only nodded and wiped back her tears. "It's okay."

Tuffnut covered the body, not saying a word or looking at anyone before shuffling away along with Fishlegs, deciding it better to help the sailors man the ship and give Hiccup his space. Eventually Ruffnut left Hiccup's side after making sure he was okay. Her fingers skimmed over Snotlout's face before she stood and walked away.

It was almost an afterthought, Hiccup's mind so boggled the sudden loss of his cousin and number one rival that he might have just sat next to the body in shock but there was one other victim of the attack that desperately needed treatment. "Toothless?" he called, wiping his nose on the back of his sleeve. "Bud?"

The Nightfury hung back, his greengage eyes wide with fright and guilt and he stepped back when Hiccup turned his attention to him.

"Toothless, come here," Hiccup tried, raising a hand toward his best friend.

Toothless lowered his head and looked away, his feet pawing at the deck nervously and wings flexing nervously.

Hiccup's shoulders slumped and he felt ready to cry for a second time. "Toothless…please. Please come to me, I need you….you're not in trouble," he added, realizing suddenly why the dragon was suddenly so frighten of him. When Stoick died it was due to a plasma blast from Toothless and while it wasn't really the dragon's fault Hiccup had took his anger and rage out on his and pretty much cast him away and since Snotlout had been flying with him in an attempt to protect Hiccup he must blame himself for the man's death and thought Hiccup would, too. "I know it's not your fault. Please, bud, I need you."

Slowly, carefully Toothless shuffled to him, moving slowly and cautiously as if expecting Hiccup to blow up at any moment. When his rider didn't he slowly relaxed and rubbed his head against Hiccup's. The young man reached up and wrapped his arms around his thick ebony neck. It was only then Hiccup completely relaxed and let his sorrow slip over. He sobbed into Toothless's neck as the two slumped neck to Snotlout's body and the Night Fury let him, his wings wrapping protectively around him.

. . .

Stoick had not swum so hard since he was a youth but he had crossed the bay to the ship in record time, no doubt beating his best time ever. He grasped the nets before they were pulled up and climbed onto the ship. Several surprised men turned their weapons on him but a gesture from Eret made them back away and return to their posts.

"About time. I thought we'd be leaving without you," Eret said but his cheery, cocky demeanor was gone for one much more sober. Stoick took it for the worse.

"Hiccup?" Stoick demanded, his gaze searching franticly for his son.

Eret gave a cute nod. "Over there."

Over there wasn't hard to find. There was no missing the Night Fury bent over a covered body. If horror and fear didn't tighten Stoick's chest before it did then. He ran across the deck to the dragon, his chest tight and heart ready to explode. "Toothless!" he cried, not in anger but in heart break.

The dragon lifted his majestic head and looked at him with sorrowful eyes but that was not what made Stoick stop in his tracks, it was the pitiful young man leaning into his side with Snotlout's head on his lap and looking utterly lost.

Confusion filled Stoick as well as relief. The sorrow returned at the realization that it was his only nephew cradled lovingly in his son's arms. He knelt before Hiccup and reached out to take the body from him. "Hiccup, you have to let him go."

Shimmering emerald eyes met his and he was taken aback by the sudden anger in them and his grip on his cousin tightened slightly. After a moment it relaxed and he let Stoick-Stephen take Snotlout from him. "Drago's going to pay. I'm not letting him take any more people I care about from me. We're going to war."

Stoick could only stare at him in shock. The Peacekeeper was gone.HHiHI


End file.
